Finding Hope
by I'mfriendswiththemonster
Summary: The Doctor and Thalia both met in the hospital that went to the moon. They could never have imagined how it would change their lives. For Thalia, her most important goal is to hide who she is - The Doctor's Tie. Well... that comes after protecting The Doctor. The Doctor just wants to heal after losing Rose. Very Eventual Doctor/OC
1. Smith, Jones and Brown - Part One

**AN: A Little bit about my OC**

**-She's number six from the lorien legacies series of books.**

**-You don't need to read the books to understand the story.**

**-My story is set hundreds of years into her future and she is like a new person.**

**-For those of you who have read the books, I kept the books the same up until the third book, and then I changed what happens.**

Feel free to review - I don't mind any sort of feedback.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just parts of my OC.**

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Chapter One - I'm on the bloody moon.

Martha, a pretty black woman, escaped the busy London streets and entered the hospital where she worked, only to get shoved out of the way by a leather clad biker. The rude man didn't apologise and carried on walking.

Shouting, "Oi, watch it mate!", she thought about the strange morning she had had; a strange man with a tie and frantic phone calls, she hadn't even started work yet!

She changed into her white over jacket that all the trainee doctors wore and was wondering what she would do when she passed her exams and became a doctor, when a static shock shot up her arm as she tried to shut her locker door. Doing a double take, she checked again, but brushed it off as nothing.

Martha and the other medical students in white jackets stood around a patient's bed, watching a balding man with quite big ears demonstrate a diagnosis, she was casually interested, but the party tonight was occupying most of her thoughts.

"I was alright till this morning, and then, I don't know, I woke up and felt all dizzy again. It was worse than when I came in."

The man took the woman's pulse. "Pulse is slightly thready." Looking up, the man spoke to the soon-to-be-doctors next to him, "Well, let's see what Britain's finest suggest. Any ideas Moregenstern?"

"Dizziness can be a sign of early onset diabetes." A young man, obviously Morgenstern suggested.

"Hardly early onset, if you'll forgive me Mrs Finnegan. Any more ideas? Swales?"

"Umm... Could recomend a CT scan." Swales replied.

"And spend all our money?" He dismissed, "Jones?"

"We could take bloods and check for Ménière's disease." She was still worried about the party and couldn't concentrate.

The students paused their analysis as a woman walked over, Martha hadn't seen her before today, and was curious as to who this woman was. The woman glanced at the patient and asked, "What did you have for dinner last night?"

"I had salad." Mrs Finnegan replied, slightly stunned."

"And the night before?" The woman enquired.

"Salad again."

"Salt deficiency, Mr Stoker." the mysterious new woman deduced. Martha wondered where a woman with so much experience had come from, it wasn't everyday someone got to insult and impress Mr Stoker in the same sentence and got away with it.

"Contrary to my instructions!" Mr Stoker jumped in defensively. Noticing the confused faces, Mr Stoker continued with introducing the woman. "This is Miss Brown, accomplished medical advisor from Cambridge."

Miss Brown had long, thick and wavy ginger hair that looked like it was on fire. She was wearing a plain grey bodycon dress that rested just above her knees. To finish off her outfit, she wore white converse hi-tops - she didn't need heels beacause she was very tall for a woman - she looked about 5ft 8. Her eyes were the bluest blue Martha could imagine, her lips were full and pink and her face was smooth and blemish free. In thee words, she was beautiful. She was also carrying a clipboard that she wrote on whilst she spoke to Mrs Finnegan.

The men of the small group were wide eyed and couldn't stop looking at her, the women were staring enviously at her, but she seemed oblivious to the attention she was being shown.

She made some more notes on her clipboard, before looking up expectantly at Mr Stoker.

Taking the opportunity, he made his way to the lobby outside the next ward where he resumed his lecture. "Hippocrates himself expounded on the virtues of salt..."

Both Martha and Miss Brown noticed the suspicious men in all leather getting out the lift. Martha recognised one of the men from earlier and wondered what the clearly out of place men were doing there, but she was soon distracted when they entered the next ward.

"...Now then, Mr Smith, a very good morning to you. How are you today?" Mr Stoker finished his narration with a question aimed at the next patient.

"Aw, not so bad, still a bit, you know, Blah." Mr Smith replied, his gaze shifting to the woman standing next to Mr Stoker, who was writing on a clipboard. He wondered what she was doing.

"John Smith, admitted yesterday with with severe abdominal pains. Jones, why don't you see what you can find, amaze me." Mr Stoker turned to Martha.

Miss Brown smiled at Martha as she stepped towards John with a stethoscope that she had pulled from around her neck.

Recognising the man from her encounter with him this morning, she said, "That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?"

"Sorry?" John frowned.

"On Chancery street, this morning, you came up to me and took your tie off."

"Really? What did I do that for?"

"I don't know, you just did!"

"Not me, I was in here, in bed, ask the nurses."

"Well, that's weird, cause it looked like you. Have you got a brother?"

"No, not any more, just me."

"As time passes I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones." Mr Stoker halted their conversation.

"Sorry. Right." Martha was used to Mr Stoker's impatience by now; he was a man who shouldn't be a teacher because he expected them to know everything. Rolling her eyes, she turned to Mr Smith and continued with the diagnosis.

Miss Brown watched carefully as Martha put the stethoscope to Mr Smith's chest. She saw Martha's eyes widen, before she moved the stethoscope to the other side of his chest.

"I weep for further generations. Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?" Mr Stoker sighed.

Drawing back slowly, Martha was stunned into silence. The man had two hearts! Miss Brown noticed the wink The Doctor gave Martha as the medical student guessed, "Um. I don't know. Stomach cramps?"

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis." Mr Stoker grew agitated at the lack of concentration making his students less observant. "And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart." He picked up the chart and began to look at it before dropping it on the bed when he received a static shock.

"That happened to me this morning." Martha informed them.

"I had the same thing on the door handle." Moregenstern added.

"And me, on the lift." Swales revealed.

"That's only to be expected." Mr Stoker clarified. "There's a storm coming and lightning is a form of static electricity, as proven by - anyone?"

"Benjamin Franklin." The Doctor and Miss Brown answered in unison.

"Correct."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, impressed. Miss Brown only bit her lip; she hoped no one had noticed. She didn't want anyone to be suspicious of her knowledge.

"My mate Ben, that was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked..." The Doctor received a few odd looks.

"Quite..."

"...and then I got electrocuted." He added with an enthusiastic smile. He was, for some reason, still drawn to the woman standing next to Mr Stoker. She wasn't wearing a jacket, like the other medical students, and was writing on a clipboard. He wondered what she was doing here.

"Moving on." Mr Stoker then turned and whispered to the nurse, "I think perhaps a visit from psychiatric." He then continued, louder, "And next we have..."

Martha zoned out after that, her thoughts a bit dazed after the eventful morning, but soon it was lunchtime and she then focused yet again on the upcoming party. It was her brother's twenty first and he was having a party to celebrate. Her Mum and Dad had split up, and her dad was bringing his very young girlfriend to the party. Leo was the youngest and was the worst affected by the divorce, she and Tish were working a lot of the time and didn't get involved very much. Martha wanted to make it special for Leo.

She was getting ready to have lunch when her sister phoned her, so she decided to have lunch with Tish. She was laying out her plans for the party to her, when her colleague touched her shoulder, pulling her attention from the phone.

"What?"

"The rain." She replied.

"It's only rain." Martha scoffed.

"Martha! Have you seen the rain?" Tish asked from the other end of the phone.

"Why's everyone fussing about rain?"

"It's going up."

"The rain is going up." Tish echoed.

Martha looked out the window to find that the rain was indeed going up. The building then started shaking, throwing Martha and and Swales to the floor, along with different objects from the cupboards around them. A bright light flooded the room from through the window. The shaking stopped after what felt like forever and Martha stood up, shocked. "What the hell was that?"

"Are you all right?" Swales checked.

"I think so, yeah. It felt like an earthquake, or -"

"Martha? It's night. It was lunchtime."

"It's not night."

"It's got to be. It's dark."

She peered out the window. "We're on the moon."

"We can't be."

Martha looked out at the grey expanse surrounding the hospital. "We're on the moon. We're on the bloody moon."

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**I hope you enjoyed reading, please review. I will update as soon as I can.**


	2. Smith, Jones and Brown - Part Two

**AN: Hope you enjoyed the last chapter, I will update as soon as I can. Please review. **

**I just wanted to thank those people who followed me, it really means a lot.**

**Prepared to be shocked in this chapter - you'll love it or you'll hate it.**

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Smith, Jones and Brown:

Chapter two - Here come the Judoon:

The patients of the hospital started to panic when they realised they were no longer on earth. Martha could hear the outbursts of tears, wailing and screams of the distressed and confused people from down the corridor as she wondered what on earth had happened.

**Back on Earth**

Tish ran up to where the hospital once stood and looked into the huge crater. A policeman held her back as she stood in shock. She had just been on the phone to her sister not even 30 seconds ago. She was stopped from getting nearer by a policeman

"I'm sorry miss, no." He shook his head.

"My God..." Tish turned to her phone when she heard sirens approaching. "Martha? Can you hear me? Martha!"

**On the Moon**

Martha pushed through the corridors of panicked people, trying to get to the nearest Ward. She walked past Mrs Finnegan who turned to her and said.

"Have you seen -"

"I'm sorry I can't." She ran on.

Just as Martha stepped through the doorway, ready to calm the frantic patients, a voice rung out through the overhead speakers.

"Can all patients please return to their beds and remain calm, we do have an emergency, but we will sort it out. There needs to be one nurse per ward, and all doctors need to to station themselves in the Maternity ward, intensive care, and theatre. Our top priorities are the children, and severely ill. Thank you."

Martha recognised that as the voice of Miss Brown, the woman that had been reviewing the training earlier. She was impressed.

The Doctor was also thinking about the clever announcement that had just been made, as he pulled the curtains around the bed. He also linked the voice on the speakers to the woman from this morning. She was clearly the voice of reason in a bad situation and hoped he would be able to meet her, he could do with someone like that around.

Martha took control of the ward. "You heard what she said, back to bed!"

When things were calmer and quieter, she turned to the window, ready to open it, when Swales stopped her with a cry of "Don't, we'll lose all the air."

"But they're not exactly airtight. If the air was going to be sucked out, it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come?"

"Very good point! Brilliant in fact. What was your name?" The Doctor jumped out from the curtain, fully dressed.

"Martha."

"And it was Jones, wasn't it?" Martha nodded. "Well then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing?"

"We can't be!" Swales cried.

"Obviously we are, so don't waste my time." The Doctor turned to the more capable of the two, "Martha, what have we got? Is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda, or..."

"By the patient's lounge, yeah."

"Fancy going out?"

"Okay."

"We might die."

"We might not."

"Good! Come on. Not her, she'll hold us up."

Swales sobbed while The Doctor and Martha left.

**The Balcony**

Miss Brown stood on the veranda and looked around. It had been ages since she had seen the earth from this angle, it was beautiful, not as beautiful as Lorien in it's former glory, but still beautiful. She missed views like this. She tried not to go out of her way to see them because it brought back painful memories.

She knew there had to be a forcefield somewhere. She picked up a stone and threw it over the edge. The rippled pattern in what seemed like thin air proved her theory. She turned to leave, but found Mr Smith from earlier and medical student, Martha, if she remembered correctly, standing there, the latter with her mouth open wide. "So that's how we're breathing."

"Just be glad we are." He gave Miss Brown a quizzical look. "You must be very clever to have worked that out so quickly. Who are you? You were walking around with the trainee doctors this morning."

"We were told she was a medical advisor from Cambridge, Mr Stoker called her Miss Brown." Martha supplied, with a suspicious glare that matched the Doctor's.

"If I could introduce myself," Miss Brown finally managed to be heard. "My name is Thalia, Thalia Brown."

"Nice to meet you. And nice work with the announcement, it was really quick thinking." The Doctor remembered his manners for once and offered his hand for Thalia to shake.

"Thank you." She accepted his hand. BANG. Thalia slammed her mental shields up as she felt an attack on her mind; images of a burnt orange sky, a city sealed in a great glass dome, a planet so beautiful it would have given Lorien a run for it's money, a blue police box, a girl from London with blonde hair and a war filled with fire, loss and guilt. She knew who this man who stood before her was. He was a Time Lord. Her Tie.

Her Cepân, Katerina, had told her about the Tie a few months before they had been captured. The three superior races were the only ones to Tie. Tying was a wonderful thing. After a certain process, your mind would connect to your Tie; you would be romantically attached to your Tie, and very protective of them. The Raiak had died when Sherom, their planet, had been sucked into a black hole. The Time Lords were locked in the time war and couldn't escape and all the Loric had died when Lorien was destroyed. They were the only two from the superior races left alive.

She could see his whole life and she loved him. For the first time in over 800 years, Thalia felt love and hope rise up inside her, before it came crashing down again. The Doctor was blinded by love for another. Rose. His love for Rose had stopped him tying to her: he had no idea who she was, but she knew everything about him. He couldn't find out who she was, she needed to trick him into thinking she was human.

She was snapped from her thoughts when The Doctor withdrew his hand from hers. She had to focus on getting them off the moon and back home, then she could sort the Tie out.

Martha also seemed lost in thought, but revealed what she was thinking, "I've got a party tonight. It's my brother's twenty first. My mother's going to be really...really..."

"You ok?" The Doctor asked, concerned.

"Yeah." She stepped up to the edge of the balcony and looked out at the earth.

"Sure?"

"Yeah."

"Want to go back in?"

"No way. I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same - it's beautiful." Martha sighed.

"You think?" The Doctor glanced at the mysterious redhead and wondered if he could trust her. She wasn't as openly amazed at the view as Martha was, but she did stare at the Earth with such an intensity that it made him feel like if she looked at him, he would disintegrate.

"How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are!" Martha pulled him from his thoughts.

"Standing in the earthlight." Thalia finally spoke.

"What do you think happened?" Martha asked.

"What do you think?"

"Extraterrestrial. It's got to be. I don't know, a few years ago that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben - Christmas - those Cybermen things. I had a cousin, Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home." Martha felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and turned to see Thalia smiling at her sympathetically.

"I'm sorry." This time The Doctor.

She turned to face him. "Yeah."

"I was there. In the battle." This time it was The Doctor's turn to find a hand on his shoulder - Thalia could only offer small amounts of comfort to make sure he wasn't suspicious.

"I promise you, Mr Smith, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon we can travel back. There's got to be a way." At these words both The Doctor and Thalia withdrew from the veranda. Thalia reading over the notes she had made on her clipboard.

"It's not Mr Smith, that's not my real name." The Doctor confessed as he paced around to two women.

"Who are you then?"

"I'm The Doctor."

"Me too, if I ever pass my exams. What is it then, Doctor Smith?"

"Just The Doctor."

"How do you mean, just The Doctor?"

"Just... The Doctor."

"What, people call you 'The Doctor'?"

"Yeah."

"Well I'm not. As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title."

"Well I'd better make a start then. We know there is a forcefield keeping the air in-"

"That means this is the only air we've got. What happens when it runs out?" Martha jumped in.

"How many people in this hospital?"

"I don't know, a thousand?" Martha guessed at the exact same time Thalia stated, "1874 people."

"Suffocating." The Doctor added, disgusted.

"Why would anyone do that?"

"Heads up! Ask them yourself." The trio looked up and saw three spaceships descending. Thalia cursed under her breath, the Judoon might not recognise her, but if they scanned her they would know who she was and what she had done. She had escaped because of pure luck last time.

"Aliens. That's aliens. Real, proper aliens."

"Judoon."

**Mr Stoker's office**

Mr Stoker stood at the window, looking out at the aliens that were now marching towards the hospital, when Mrs Finnegan pushed through the doors and made her way into the office.

"Mr Stoker? I'm sorry, I don't know who else to ask, but can you help me?"

"I think we've gone beyond aspirin, Mrs... Ah..."

"Finnegan."

"What are names now when something unnamable is marching towards us across the moon? Two more years, I thought, two more years until I retire to Florida, but there is Florida, in the sky, I can see it. My daughter - she's still in university - I am never going to see her again."

"But I need your help, Mr Stoker."

" I can't do anything."

"Oh I think you can."

The two men that had been in the lobby earlier that morning entered the office and began to close in on the consultant who was starting to panic. What was going on? He only wanted to go home. "What do you two want? It's a bit too late to sign for anything."

"These are my lovely boys. I prefer not to get my hands dirty." Mrs Finnegan also began to close in on Mr Stoker.

"I'm sorry?"

"You see, there are great tests to come, and terrible deeds, some of them my own. But if I am to survive this, I need you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Blood, specifically yours."

With a snap of her fingers, the two men grabbed Mr Stoker and held him by his arms.

"What are you doing?" He thrashed about and tried to escape. "What are you doing, let go of me, what the hell, let go."

"You see, I was only salt deficient because I am so very good at absorbing it. Now I need fire in my veins, and who better than a consultant, with blood full of salty fats and vintage wines and all those Michelin star sauces." Mrs Finnegan explained, licking her lips while she rummaged in her bag.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm a survivor, Mr Stoker. At any cost. Look, I've even brought a straw."

Mr Stoker screamed.

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**I hope you liked the Tie, eventually everything will be explained. Please review.**


	3. Smith, Jones and Brown - Part Three

**AN: The chapters will be a bit shorter from now on, because I changes the plot a bit and I like the breaks between chapters to make sense.**

**Please review and enjoy!**

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Smith, Jones and Brown:

Part 3 - The Judoon are thick!

Entering the hospital, the Judoon walked through the force field as if it wasn't there. The people in the reception stared at the clearly alien creatures coming towards them and either tried to hide, others screamed and ran. The Chief Judoon removed his helmet and a shocked hush fell the patients and staff - the alien had a Rhino's head! The Chief lifted his head and turned to the frozen humans surrounding him. "Bo sco fo do no kro blo co sho ro!"

"We are citizens of planet Earth. We welcome you in peace." Morgenstern stepped up.

The Judoon turned towards him and pressed him up against the wall. He shone a blue light in his face, it made a whirring sound as it worked.

"Please don't hurt me, I was just trying to help, I'm sorry, don't hurt me, please don't hurt me."

The Judoon played his words back on the portable machine, leaning back, he spoke on a rough voice, but in English, "Language assimilated. Designation, Earth English. You will be catalogued." He then shined the light in Morgenstern's face again, but this time on his forehead. "Category: Human. Catalogue all suspects." He then marked Morgenstern's hand with a black cross.

The rest of the Judoon followed and started checking everyone in the room.

Thalia, Martha and The Doctor stuck their heads out of the potted plants that lined the floor above.

"Oh, look down there, you've got a little shop. I like a little shop."

"Never mind that! What are Judoon?" Martha glared at The Doctor, but Thalia just looked slightly amused. Thalia wondered if The Doctor would leave her behind on Earth after they returned, he certainly didn't want anyone to come with him after he had lost Rose, she could at least feel that through the Tie. She thought about how they were going to get back, her ship wasn't exactly remote control. Concerntrating on the task ahead, she turned to Martha in response to her question. "The Judoon are Galactic police. Well, police for hire. More like interplanetary thugs."

"And they brought us to the moon?"

"Neutral territory. According to the Galactic police, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lightning? That was them, using a H20 scoop." The Doctor replied, turning into genius mode, too exited at the possible adventure to notice Thalia's knowledge of the Judoon.

"What's that about 'galactic law'? Where'd you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"No. But I like that. Good thinking. No, it's more simple. They're making a catalogue. It means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for me." He cast a suspicious glance at Thalia, she seemed too calm about the situation they were in. She wasn't asking any questions.

"Why?"

The Doctor turned and looked at his disbelieving friend.

"Oh you are kidding me!" Martha didn't believe him.

He raised an eyebrow and continued to stare at her.

"Don't be rediculous. Stop looking at me like that."

"Come on then." They turned and left as the Chief Judoon announced, "Troop five, floor one. Troop six, floor two. Identify humans and find the transgressor. Find it!"

Upon hearing the Judoon, The Doctor, Thalia and Martha sprinted through the corridors of people as the Judoon followed behind them, stopping to scan more humans.

"Prepare to be catalogued."

"Do what they say. All they want is to shine this light thing, it's alright, they don't mean to hurt us. Just listen to them." Morgenstern warned.

A man, not listening to Morgenstern, jumped up behind a nearby Judoon and smashed a vase over its head.

"Witness the crime. Charge: Physical Assault. Plea: Guilty. Sentence: execution." The Chief Judoon growled.

The man screamed as he was shot by the Judoon and was vaporised.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Justice is swift." The Chief Judoon walked away.

Morgenstern flinched.

**Ahead of the Judoon**

Martha pushed through the door of the room they were using to find Thalia going through her notes with a look of concentration on her face, The Doctor mirroring her expression, but looking at the computer, scanning it with his sonic screwdriver.

"They've reached the third floor. What's that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver." He explained, as if it was most obvious thing in the world.

"Well if you're not going to ask me properly!"

"No, really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic." He showed her the device, annoyed that she didn't believe him.

"What else have you got? A laser spanner?"

"I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman." The Doctor was so preoccupied with the computer in front of him he didn't notice the sarcasm in her voice. "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down." He continued after smacking the computer.

Thalia made a final note on her clipboard before sighing and rushing over to The Doctor to take computer from his hands. "Before you can do any more damage." She then stripped the back off the monitor and started digging around in the wires. Even if she looked too clever, she reasoned, they would all be dead if she couldn't get them off the moon.

The Doctor sat, amazed, for a couple of seconds before he started rambling again. "Judoon platoon upon the moon. Cause I was just wandering, I wasn't looking for trouble, honestly, I wasn't, but I noticed these-"

"Plasma coils, around the hospital, for two days now." Thalia jumped in, her voice distant, as if she didn't realise she was answering. The Doctor gave her another strange look. She definitely had too much knowledge for an average human.

He continued as if he hadn't noticed. "So I checked in, I thought something was going in on the inside, it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

"But what were they looking for?" Martha asked.

"Something that looks human, but isn't." He cast a suspicious glance at Thalia.

"Like you. Apparently."

"Like me. But not me." He continued to stare at the back of her head as she worked on the computer.

"Haven't they got a photo?"

"Might be a shape changer."

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?"

"If the declare the hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution."

"All of us?"

"Oh yes. If I can find this thing first... Oh! Just that they're thick! Judoon are thick! They're completely thick! They've wiped the records. Oh that's clever." The Doctor had taken the computer back, only for it to lock down.

"What are we looking for?"

"I don't know. Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms. Maybe there's a back up.

"I'm the back up." Both Martha and The Doctor's heads whipped round to look at Thalia. "I've been investigating the hospital ever since the first plasma coils appeared. As soon as I mentioned Cambridge I was granted permission to go anywhere. So I took the opportunity to start making my own catalogue of all the patients in the hospital. I only made it two thirds of the way around the hospital, but I still have a lot of information."

Martha beamed and pointed at The Doctor." I knew she was on our side!"

The Doctor looked confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh the looks you were giving her, you didn't trust her one bit!"

The Doctor had the decency to look ashamed, but he was still slightly suspicious of his supposed team mate.

Martha, not noticing the dazed expression on The Doctor's face said, "Just keep working, I'll go and ask Mr Stoker, he might know."

She left the room.

Thalia moved from her position at The Doctor's shoulder and say down on the table. She patted the spot next to her. After a moments hesitation, The Doctor sat down next to her. She handed him her clipboard as they discussed suspicious patients...

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**Thank you, please review!**


	4. Smith, Jones and Brown - Part Four

**AN: I hope you like this next chapter, although it's a little bit short.**

**I wanted to get a bit more of Thalia's personality through in this chapter and I hope you like the other character I've added in.**

**I also wanted to thank those three people who reviewed, because it really keeps me writing, knowing there are people out there enjoying my story.**

**I'm still open to reviews, please suggest things for my story, I really appreciate it.**

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Smith, Jones and Brown:

Part Four - Run!

The Doctor noticed that Thalia had opened out a lot more. She had a beautiful smile. They were laughing at the notes Thalia had made about The Docotor, when Martha rushed in.

"I found her."

"What?"

"Run!" Thalia grabbed their hands and pulled them out the room, just missing the Slab running into the corridor. He turned and started chasing them. "I knew there were slabs in the building, I recognised them this morning. I knew they would be coming after us if you found her."

The Doctor was shocked at the change in Thalia. It was if she had snuffed out all emotion and gone into autopilot.

Running down the stairs, they nearly bumped into the Judoon, who were coming up. Thalia dragged them onto the the fourth floor. They were still being tailed by the slab until Thalia pushed them into the radiology room, closing the door in a slab's face.

Tell me when to press the button." Thalia positioned herself in front of the big red button.

He soniced the machinery and pointed the scanner at the door as the Slab broke it down.

"Now!"

Thalia smashed her hand down on the button and the Slab was blasted with radiation, revealing his skeleton, and fell to the floor.

"What did you do?" Martha cautiously left the safety zone.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent. Killed him dead."

"Isn't that likely to kill you?"

"Nah. It's only radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. It's safe, I've absorbed it all. All I need to do is expel it." He started bouncing up and down. "If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go, easy does it..."

He shook his foot and yelled, "Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out, ah, ah, ah, ah. It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot. Ah - hold on. Done." He threw his left red converse in the bin.

"You're completely mad."

"Right. I look daft with one shoe." He took off the other and threw it in the bin, Thalia lunging for it but it was too late. "Barefoot on the moon!"

"That was a perfectly good shoe!" Thalia said in a huff. She loved converse, especially hi-tops. Looking down at her own, she folded her arms and said, "Don't worry, I will never throw you away!"

They all laughed. The Doctor was just glad that she had opened out again.

Martha crouched down next to the Slab. "So what is that thing? And where's it from? The planet Zovirax?"

"It's just a Slab. They're called 'Slabs'. Basic slave drones, see? Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish."

"It came with that woman, Mrs Finnegan. It was working for her. Just like a servant."

"I knew it was her, ignoring a doctor's instructions like that." Thalia said.

The Doctor took what was left of his sonic screwdriver out of the X-Ray machine and in a tone similar to the one Thalia used when she was talking to her shoes, said, "My sonic screwdriver."

"She was one of the patients but-"

"My sonic screwdriver!" He interrupted.

"She had a straw like some kind of vampire."

"I loved my sonic screwdriver!" He turned it over in his hands.

"Doctor!"

"Sorry!" He threw the screwdriver over his shoulder and smiled. "You called me Doctor!"

"Anyway, Mrs Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr Stoker's blood."

"Funny time to take a snack." Thalia thought out loud.

"You'd think she'd be hiding." The Doctor agreed. "Unless - no. Yes, that's it, wait a minute. Yes! Shape changer. Internal shape changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it!"

**Two Floors Down**

Mrs Finnegan walked out of Mr Stoker's office and began to wipe her lips. The Judoon approached her and scanned her.

**Radiology Room**

"If she can assimilate Mr Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!" The Doctor ran out of the radiology room, but was stopped when he ran into a little five year old in a hospital gown. She was holding a teddy bear and had curly blonde hair and big blue eyes.

Seeing Thalia standing behind him she shouted, "Miss Brown!"

**Two Floors Down**

The Chief Judoon finished the scan: "Human."

Mrs Finnegan smirked as the Judoon walked away.

**Outside the Radiology Room**

"Ava?" Thalia ran to the little girl and scooped her up in her arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I ran away from the horrible man and woman and went to that park. But I got all poorly so the hospital people found me and brought me here."

"You ran away? I thought they were nice?" Thalia's concern for the little girl obvious.

"You ran away?" I thought they were nice?"

"They we pretending, they're really mean."

"You need someone to look after you, you can't just go running off in the dark."

"Can you look after me?" Ava looked up at Thalia as if she were an angel.

"Oh, Ava." Thalia hugged her. "I was only there a little while. You need someone who can keep you safe." She had put too many people at risk, she wasn't about to hurt an innocent child by getting too close, she had made that mistake too often.

"Who are the people behind you?"

"Oh." Thalia remembered she had an audience and picked Ava up, resting her on her hip, she weighed next to nothing with her enhancement legacy. This is The Doctor and Martha, they're helping me get off the moon."

At her words, Ava pressed her head against Thalia's shoulder. "I'm scared." She started to cry and The Doctors heart went out to the little girl in Thalia's arms.

Thalia rocked her and stroked her hair as she sung a soft melody in Ava's ear. It was beautiful. Ava immediately relaxed and said, "I misuse you after you left, you didn't even say goodbye."

Thalia stiffened and The Doctor decided to change the subject quickly. He nudges Martha who said, "Who's this then Thalia?"

This is Ava, I used to work at the orphanage Ava lived at. She was fostered but I guess they turned out not to be very nice people." She shrugged and smiled, but The Doctor could tell it was forced and fake. It just didn't meet her eyes.

Thalia placed Ava on the floor and held her hand. "When we run, you need to hold onto me as tight as you can."

**Five Minutes Later**

A Slab walked down the hallway as Martha, The Doctor, Thalia and Ava, who had Thalia's hand over her mouth, hid behind a water cooler.

"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs."

"What about you two?"

"What about us?"

"Haven't you got back up? You both must have a partner or something?"

"We're stuck on the moon, running out of air with Judoon and a blood sucking criminal, and you're asking personal questions?" Thalia snapped, her face a mask.

"Humans. Come on." The Doctor halted the conversation before it could get out of hand. Thalia had retreated into her shell again, he didn't know why she had snapped, but now wasn't the time for arguing. He had noticed Martha asked a lot of questions, it turned out that this time she asked the wrong one.

"I like that. 'Humans.' I'm still not convinced you're an alien." She stepped out into the corridor, only to be pulled back by Thalia. The Doctor wasn't as lucky.

The Judoon now in front of them shone the scanner in his face. "Non-human."

Oh my God, you really are!"

"And again!"

They ran down the corridor, Thalia at the front with Ava in her arms, The Doctor next, and Martha bringing up at the rear. The Doctor thought Thalia was surprisingly fast considering they were running out of oxygen and she was carrying a five year old.

Thalia led them up the stairs into another corridor, where people were collapsing of lack of oxygen.

"They've done this floor. Come on. The Judoon are logical but a little bit thick. They won't go back to a floor they've already checked. If we're lucky." As she spoke, Thalia kept glancing at the weak child in her arms. Placing her gently on the floor, she glanced down the corridor and spoke to Swales, who was crouching over a woman with an oxygen mask. "How much oxygen is there?"

"Not enough for all these people. We're going to run out."

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?" The Doctor was worried if she struggling to breathe.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me!" She was least of all worried about herself. The part of Lorien that was in her would keep her alive. Since she was the last, Lorien could convert other elements into oxygen inside her lungs. She would be the only person standing if the oxygen ran out. Concerned for her newly found friend, she turned to Martha. "How about you?"

"I'm running on adrenaline."

"Welcome to my world." The Doctor added.

Thalia picked up Ava as Martha asked, "What about the Judoon?"

"Ah, great big lung reserves? It won't slow them down. Where's Mr Stoker's Office?" Thalia reasoned that it would be the best place to start.

"It's this way." Martha led them down the corridor.

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**Hope you enjoyed Chapter 4, please review. I will update as soon as I can.**


	5. Smith, Jones and Brown - Part Five

**AN: I may struggle to upgrade every week, but I will try my hardest.**

**If you have any sort of suggestions for the story you can always PM me, or if you don't have an account, you can drop a review.**

**Thank you for reading, enjoy:**

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Smith, Jones and Brown:

Part Five - Milkshake?

They entered Mr Stoker's office to find Mrs Finnegan gone.

"She's gone! She was here."

Noticing Mr Stoker's body, Thalia quickly handed Martha Ava, making sure she couldn't see, and leapt over the desk to see if there was any way to save him.

The Doctor Approached Thalia from behind. "Drained him dry. Every last drop. I was right. She's a plasmavore."

Thalia leant over the pale man and pretended to take a pulse. She found the incision in his neck and channeled all her healing powers into that tiny wound. After thirty seconds, she drew back shaking her head, secretly hoping that she had done enough.

"What was she doing on Earth?" Martha handed Thalia Ava, who, after noticing the tears silently steaming down her face, gently started stroking her and whispering comforting words in her ear.

"Hiding. On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro. What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on." The Doctor couldn't stand seeing children in distress.

"Wait a minute." Thalia handed Martha Ava again as she closed Mr Stoker's eyes. The Doctor glanced at Thalia as she picked up Ava again, and wondered what she was thinking.

They left the office with The Doctor thinking out loud. "Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police what would I do?"

Thalia and The Doctor looked at the MRI sign. "Aah. She's as clever as me. Almost."

Thalia just groaned.

She glanced at The Doctor and he nodded, a silent understanding coming between them. Thalia placed Ava on the floor and led her to a small, unused private ward.

"I need you to stay here, I love you so much, but your safety comes first. You need to use this." She handed her an oxygen mask. "And you need to stay here. Don't forget, no matter what happens, I will come back for you." Thalia kissed a sobbing Ava's forehead, wiped away her tears and hugged her.

Thalia broke the hug and left the room, closing the door behind her. She let out a sigh and looked down the corridor.

The Doctor could see she had put her walls up again and had closed herself off.

"Find the non-human. Execute." The voices of the angry Judoon drifted down the corridor.

"Stay here, both of you. I need time. You're going to have to hold them up."

"No way. I'm coming with you and there's no way you are going to stop me." Thalia refused to leave him after she had only just found him.

"How do I hold them up?" Martha asked, curious.

"Martha, forgive me for this. It's to save a thousand lives, I means nothing, honestly, nothing." He could see Thalia would be stubborn, so she was out of the question. Shame, he thought, he would have chosen her out of the two. The adrenalin in him stopped him noticing where his thoughts had drifted to. He glanced at the stiffening Thalia, leaned in and kissed Martha. He then ran off, grabbing Thalia's hand and dragging her down the corridor.

"That was nothing?" Martha stared in a dreamlike trance at his rapidly retreating from, too filled with fantasies to notice his hand in Thalia's as they ran from the Judoon.

**MRI Room**

The Doctor ran into the MRI room, happier that Thalia had agreed to stay outside. The MRI machine was making noises it clearly wasn't supposed to make. Looking through the glass of the protected room, he could see Mrs Finnegan working on the controls. Trying to stall her, he said, "Have you seen - there are these things, these great big space rhino things. And we're on the moon. Great big space rhinos with guns on the moon. And I only came in for my bunions, look." He showed Mrs Finnegan his perfectly good feet. "They're all right now, perfectly good treatment, I said to my wife, I'd recommend this place to anyone, but then we end up on the moon. And did I mention the rhinos?"

"Hold him?"

The Slab grabbed The Doctor, holding him upright.

Thalia was glad no one could see her. As Mrs Finnegan had been speaking, the kiss had been playing over in her head and it wasn't until the Slab had grabbed The Doctor that she had managed to snap out of it. She now needed to focus on coming up with a plan, from her now invisible status, without The Doctor or Mrs Finnegan noticing.

**The Corridor Outside Mr Stoker's Office**

Waiting bravely for the Judoon as they approached, Martha couldn't help but feel a little scared, even if she didn't show it. She was alone and had no one to save her.

"Find the non-human. Execute."

At his words, Martha flinched. Would they kill her? She decided to try an explain, before they scanned her. "Now listen. I know who you're looking for. She's this woman. She calls herself Florence."

The Judoon examined her with his blue light. Getting the results, he started shouting at Martha and pressed her up against the wall. "Human. With non-human traits suspected. Non-human element confirmed. Authorise full scan. What are you? What are you?"

Martha cringed away from the huge alien and hoped everything would be alright.

**MRI Room**

Thalia was turning off buttons, getting Mrs Finnegan flustered when the controls didn't work.

"That thing, that big machine thing, is it supposed to be making that noise?" The Doctor was still trying to stall her.

"You wouldn't understand." Mrs Finnegan dismissed.

"Isn't that a magnetic resonance imaging thing? Like a ginormas sort of magnet? I did magnetics at GCSE. Well, I failed, but all the same, my wife passed, she was very happy to explain it to me."

"The magnetic setting is now set to 50,000 Tesla." Mrs Finnegan wasn't interested in the stupid human in front of her.

Thalia automatically opened her mouth to comment, but realising just in time, she shut it again.

"Ooh. That's a bit strong!" The Doctor still hadn't realised there was another presence in the room. "Isn't it?" He added as an afterthought, he didn't want to look too suspicious.

"I can send out a magnetic pulse that will fry the brain cells of every living thing within 250,000 miles. Except me, safe in this room."

"But hold on, hold on. My wife did geography for GCSE, she taught me that as well, doesn't that distance include the Earth?"

"Only the side facing the moon, the other half will survive. Call it my little gift."

Thalia's head snapped up at that, she needed to work faster and be ready to turn off the scanner when Mrs Finnegan was taken care of.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me, I'm a little out of my depth. I've spent the past 15 years working as a postman - hence the bunions - why would you do that?"

"With everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine, to make my escape."

Now that's weird, you're talking like you're some sort of alien."

Thalia nearly laughed at his expression, he as so good at acting!

"Right-o."

"No!"

"Oh, yes."

"You're joshing me."

Thalia really needed to teach him what expressions were considered old-fashioned, and which weren't!

"I am not."

"I'm talking to an alien? In hospital? What, has this place got an ET department?"

"It's the perfect hiding place. Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast, and all this equipment to arm myself with should the police come looking."

"So those rhinos, they're looking for you?"

"Yes. But I'm hidden." Mrs Finnegan showed The Doctor the back of her hand, where a black cross marked her human.

"Oh. Right. Maybe that's why they're increasing they're scans."

Alarmed, Mrs Finnegan looked up. "They're doing what?"

"Big Chief rhino boy, he said, no sign of non-human, we must increase our scans... up to setting two?"

"Then I must assimilate again."

"What does that mean?"

Thalia started to grow uneasy at The Doctor's plan that was unfolding before her eyes.

"I must appear to be human."

Well, you're welcome to come home and meet the wife. She's beautiful, red hair, she'd be honoured. We can have cake, she's brilliant at cooking."

Thalia was too worried about The Doctor's plan to notice the description of The Doctor's 'wife'.

"Why should I have cake? I've got my little straw."

"That's nice. Milkshake? I like banana."

You're quite the funny man. And yet, I think laughing on purpose at the darkness. I think it's time you found some peace. Steady him!" She drew her straw from her bag.

Thalia was rooted to the spot, she couldn't do anything to stop Mrs Finnegan drinking The Doctor's blood.

"What are you doing?"

Twisting him so his neck was facing upwards, the Slab angled him so Mrs Finnegan could approach him and place the end of the straw on The Doctor's neck.

"I'm afraid this is going to hurt. But if it's any consolation, the dead don't tend to remember."

A sudden relief came over Thalia as she worked out a plan that would work.

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**Please review, hope you noticed the moment with the 'wife's thing. You will see a lot of the Tie bleeding through the subconscious with The Doctor, I will update as soon as I can.**


	6. Smith, Jones and Brown - Part Six

**AN: There's not much to say about this chapter, apart from, read and review!**

**Hope you enjoy it! **

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Smith, Jones and Brown

Part Six - Burn with me!

The Judoon made a cross on a now very relieved Martha's hand. "Confirmed: human. Traces of facial contact with non human. Continue the search." He handed Martha a piece of paper with random squares on it. "You will need this."

"What's it for?"

"Compensation."

Martha raised her eyebrows.

**MRI Room**

Mrs Finnegan was drinking The Doctor's blood, as Thalia concerntrated on limiting the amount of blood she could physically remove from his body with her Telekenisis.

The Doctor's eyes started to flutter closed, when the Judoon marched in, with Martha following.

Dropping him quickly, Mrs Finnegan spoke to the angry aliens in front of her. "Now see what you've done. This poor man just died of fright."

The Chief Judoon looked at The Doctor, who was lying on the floor, immobile. "Scan him. Confirmation: deceased."

Thalia could see The Doctor was safe for now. She ran out the room to turn off her invisibility and burst in, now fully visible, falling to her knees in front of The Doctor. "No, he can't be. Let me through, let me see him."

"Stop. Case closed."

"But it was her. She killed him. She did it. She murdered him." Martha pointed at Mrs Finnegan.

"The Judoon have no authority over human crime."

"But she's not human."

"Oh, but I am, I've been catalogued." Mrs Finnegan showed the room the black cross on her hand.

"Scan her anyway." Thalia muttered, hands placed around The Doctor's neck, eyes closed, as if checking for a pulse.

"Wait a minute!" Martha started to understand. You drank his blood? The Doctor's blood?"

She grabbed the scanner out of a reluctant Judoon's hand and pointed the blue light at Mrs Finnegan.

"Oh, all right. Scan all you like." Mrs Finnegan was relaxed and had no idea of the trap she had been led into.

"Non-human."

"What?"

"Confirm analysis."

More blue lights joined Martha's, all pointed at a slowly panicking Mrs Finnegan. "Oh, but it's a mistake, surely. I'm human, as human as they come."

"He gave his life so they could find you." Thalia explained to her.

"Confirmed: Plasmavore. I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Patrival Regency Nine." The Judoon lowered they're scanners.

Mrs Finnegan's eyes flashed. "She deserved it! Those pink cheeks and that simpering voice, she was begging for the bite of a plasmavore."

"Do you confess?"

"Confess? I'm proud of it! Slab - stop them."

The Slab fired at the Judoon, only to be shot, turning into a pile of burnt leather.

"Verdict: Guilty. Sentence: excecution."

The warning sign lit up: MAGNETIC OVERLOAD.

"Enjoy your victory, Judoon, because you're going to burn with me! Burn in hell! She screamed as she was disintegrated.

Martha moved to stand behind Thalia.

"Case closed."

"What did she mean 'burn with me'? The scanner shouldn't be doing that. She's done something." Martha looked up at the MRI magnet that was coursing with energy. The Judoon shone the blue light on the scanner. "Scans detect lethal acceleration of monomagnetic pulse."

"Well do something, stop it!"

"Our jurisdiction had ended. Judoon will evacuate."

"You can't just leave it! What's it going to do?"

"All units withdraw."

he Judoon left the hospital and started to board their ships, leaving the magnet to continue to overload.

"You can't go. That thing's going to explode and it's all your fault." Martha shouted at the backs of the leaving aliens.

"Martha, I need you to stay really calm, and try to save your breath." Thalia withdrew her hands from The Doctor's neck, and moved so she was above him. She felt for his heartbeats, but couldn't find them. She started to press down on his chest, making sure she pressed both sides.

Martha watched through drooping eyelids, as Thalia took a deep breath and pressed her lips to The Doctor's, breathing for him.

After three more breaths, he woke with a start, eyes wide, shocked that he was being kissed by a strange, beautiful woman. Thalia snapped back, when she realised he was awake. She then knelt by his ear and said, "Rest. Mrs Finnegan is gone, so have the Judoon. Martha is fine, just sleeping, and I'm about to turn off the scanner."

The Doctor let his eyes close and he relaxed. He felt safe with Thalia watching him. The lack of oxygen finally got to him as he fell into a deep sleep.

Thalia ran to the controls and turned it off with a pull of a wire. She rushed over to The Doctor and Martha, gently lifting them up and carrying them out of the room.

She made her way down the corridor, past the sleeping people, with The Doctor in her arms, Martha floating behind, supported by her Telekenisis.

She pushed open the door to the private ward, and found Ava fast asleep where she had left her. Thalia placed Martha and The Doctor on their own bed and turned to the window.

"Come on, come on, come on. Come on, Judoon, reverse it." Thalia sat down on the edge of Ava's bed. It started to rain outside, the water pouring down the window. Thalia smiled and kissed Ava on the forehead. "It's raining, you lot, look, it's raining on the moon."

The Doctor chose that moment to wake up. He sat up and looked at the smiling Thalia, when the room was filled with a blinding white light. They were going home!

**Back on Earth**

Martha sat on the back of an ambulance as the paramedic fussed over her. She brushed him off and instead, watched Moregenstern reporting to the press that had gathered there, what had happened. "I told them I represented the human race. I told them, you can't do that, we have rights..."

"Martha!" She was enveloped in a hug from her sister. "Oh, God! I thought you were dead! What happened? It was so weird, because the police wouldn't say, they didn't have a clue. And I tried phoning, but I couldn't get through, they've closed off all the roads."

Looking over Tish's shoulder, she saw The Doctor leaning out of the TARDIS to wave at her, he looked a lot happier. Martha smiled. She was about to wave back, when a truck went past, shielding the blue box from view for a moment. When it had driven away, the box had disappeared, as if it had never been there at all.

Martha could hear the TARDIS's engines fade away.

Thalia stepped inside inside the TARDIS with Ava, asleep, on her shoulder, only to stop short at the sight before her. She slowly walked up the ramp and touched the coral like structure in front of her. The ship was alive! She could feel the life and energy bursting from her. It was wonderful, it made her feel like she would never be sad again.

The Doctor walked in with a huge smile on his face, to see Thalia, with Ava in her arms, standing in front of a y beam with her back to him. He mentally face palmed. She had just been to the moon and back, and he had just shoved her in a box that's bigger on the inside. She must be suffering from shock.

He was surprised when she whispered, "She's beautiful."

A loud hum resonated through the TARDIS and Thalia turned around, a wide smile on her face.

"Really, you think so?" He was so happy, no one had ever reacted like that before, and no one, not even Rose, had been able to tell the TARDIS was a girl.

Thalia gently placed Ava on the captain's chair, and turned back to face The Doctor.

The Doctor walked up to her and said, "I just wanted to thank you for saving my life, back when Mrs Finnegan drank my blood."

"That's fine, I'm sure you would have done the same." But The Doctor didn't know how close he had actually been to death, and how much she had helped him. "First, before you take me home, would I be able to drop Ava off somewhere first please? I think I have the perfect person to find her a good home."

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**Thank you again for reading, five reviews for the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed it. Only one more chapter filled with lies (on Thalia's part), until we've finished Smith, Jones and Brown!**


	7. Smith, Jones and Brown - Part Seven

**AN: I'm so look sorry for not updating sooner, I haven't been feeling very well and I couldn't bring myself to post something. **

**I hope you like the last part of Smith, Jones and Brown. It's a bit longer to make up for the fact I didn't update sooner.**

**Enjoy**!

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**Smith, Jones and Brown**

**Part Seven - Under the stars:**

Thalia found herself outside 13 Bannerman road, at night, with Ava in her arms and two letters in her hand. The first was a goodbye letter to Ava, she loved the child a lot, but she was a danger to be around - she wouldn't be responsible for another death. The second letter was for Sarah Jane, thanking her for her help and explaining the situation. She now knew who Sarah had been talking about when she had told her those wonderful stories of the man who had changed her life. In the letter she had told Sarah who she was to The Doctor, about the Tie and how The Doctor couldn't know who she was.

Thalia had asked The Doctor to drop her off near a school in Ealing, at nighttime. She had carried Ava, so the walk was about five minutes. It would only take a minute to get back if she ran.

She placed Ava gently on the swing, while she carefully reached for the key Sarah kept hidden, opening the door with no noise at all. Thalia then turned back to Ava and quietly carried her into the house, laying her on the sofa. She placed the two letters on the coffee table, and kissed Ava on the forehead, whispering a goodbye in her ear.

She then left the house, locked the door behind her and turned around to take a last look at the house. With a jolt, she realised she had been spotted when she saw Luke standing at his bedroom window. She waved and ran down the road. He turned and ran to fetch his mum, realising all too late who it was.

Thalia set off at a run, her blur would be too fast for people looking out of their windows even to recognise her. She loved the freedom that came with her enhancement, she could reach speeds that no one would be able to catch her with.

Soon she had to slow down when the school came into view. Pushing open the TARDIS doors, she saw The Doctor working on something underneath the console. She coughed and his head shot up, smashing on the underside of the console.

"Ahhh!" The Doctor fell back down as Thalia started laughing at him.

He eventually got up, coming to stand in front of Thalia. When she had stopped laughing, he started fiddling with his fingers, clearly nervous.

"So..." The Doctor found he didn't want her to leave.

"I'm sorry, I've stayed too long, I should be going." Thalia mistook his indecision for him not being able to tell her to leave.

"No!" I just..." The Doctor realised that he had wanted to ask her this question ever since he had met her. "I sometimes have... people, friends, who join me to travel through space with me..." He wondered what her reaction would be. He took a deep breath. "Would you like to come with me?"

"I would love to." A huge smile had broken out on her face and he knew he had made the right decision.

"Is there anywhere you want to go? We have all of space and time..." The Doctor could usually tell what sort of person he was taking with him by their first request.

"Could I have two trips?" Thalia didn't want to push him into thinking badly of her and risk him dropping her off home.

"Of course!"

I want to relax. I know this perfect place where you can just lie and look at the stars, no light pollution, just the sky."

The Doctor could tell Thalia loved the place she was speaking of, and he couldn't have asked for a more convenient request, he wanted to think for a bit, and he also needed an opportunity to ask her about her knowledge of aliens. "And the second request?"

"I want to take Martha on a trip to thank her for her help on the moon, we could pick her up just after that party she needed to go to."

The Doctor considered the offer. He only wanted one person to come with him, he had been looking forward to taking a few trips with Thalia, she didn't ask many questions and she was very kind and empathetic, this was just another example. She could have him all to herself, but she wanted Martha to be included and was looking out for her, even though she had only met her today - she was already worrying about her.

Martha asked too many questions. He thought back to the time when Thalia had snapped because Martha had been intruding into their personal lives WAY too much. But she would only be there for one trip, he reasoned. Reaching a decision, he turned to the console and started typing in coordinates.

**A Small Hill, two miles outside of London**

Thalia and The Doctor were lying next to each other, on the grass looking up at the night sky, thinking.

Thalia was worried about the Tie, but as long as she was with the Doctor, she was happy.

The Doctor was thinking of the best way to interrogate her. "You did really good on the moon today."

Thalia closed her eyes. "Thank you."

"I was just wondering where you got all your knowledge of aliens from."

Thalia tensed, but The Doctor didn't notice. She compared what The Doctor knew, to what she knew and analysed the situation. She had to use an excuse that The Doctor knew could be valid, but didn't know too much about. "I met someone."

The Doctor turned to look at her, and study her, unobserved. "Who!"

"A woman called Sarah-Jane Smith"

The Doctor sat up straight at this. "It really is a small universe, I used to travel with her, a long time ago now. How did you meet her?"

"I was a child genius. I hid it very well, but I started applying for universities. An alien called the Bane found my exams and targeted me. They wanted to use my knowledge to power a machine. It would have fried my brain. I was taken to a factory, where Sarah rescued me. She took me home, and I found out they had killed my parents. Sarah took me in, and when I was old enough to look after myself, I found a job in an orphanage to work in. At night I would investigate aliens, but eventually I had aliens trying to destroy the orphanage. I had to leave. I couldn't endanger the children. I decided to investigate aliens full time, that's how I came to the hospital today." Thalia hoped the story was believable. Sarah had inspired her. She had rescued her when she was at one of her lowest points. She had made her realise she could do so much more, to help and save people, to make up for what she had done.

"Wow, that's some story!" The Doctor hadn't expected that.

"Yeah..." Thalia opened her eyes again and looked up to the stars. She loved looking at them, it made her feel like she was closer to home... She closed her eyes again and searched The Doctor's memories. He defiantly loved Rose, without a doubt. It had been two months for him since he had lost her, and he was still hoping there was a way to get her back. Thalia just couldn't compete with Rose, The Doctor thought Rose was beautiful and funny... She had no chance! She had never been very confident since she had lost John and been captured.

**Martha's Apartment**

Martha was applying mascara for the party, when she heard a radio report about the trip to the moon.

"Eyewitness reports from the Royal Hope Hospital continue to pour in, and all seem remarkably consistent. This from medical student Oliver Moregenstern.

Oliver's voice could be heard from the radio. "I was there I saw it happen. And I feel uniquely privileged . I looked out at the surface of the moon. I saw the Earth, suspended in space, and it all just proves Mr Saxon right. We're not alone in the universe. There's life out there: wild and extraordinary life."

The reporter continued with, "There was only one death reported from this morning's incident: Robert Daniels was executed by the aliens, and his death was witnessed by a number of people. But on a more positive note, Mr Stoker is making a steady recovery after being found half alive, and drained of blood in his office..."

Martha paused when she heard the last sentence. When they had left Mr Stoker, he had been dead, but now he was alive! She smiled, sometimes miracles can happen. Maybe she would get to see The Doctor again after all...

**Later that evening**

Annalise stormed outside, followed by Martha's Dad, Clive.

"I am not prepared to be insulted!"

"She didn't mean it, sweetheart. She just said you look healthy." He tried to calm her down, only for his efforts to be ruined when Francine, Martha's Mum, marched out of the Pub and shouted at Annalise, "No I did not. I said orange!"

"Clive, that woman is disrespecting me. She's never liked me." Annalise whined.

"Oh I can't think why, after you stole my husband." Francine retorted, her voice dripping with venom.

"I was seduced. I'm entirely innocent! Tell her Clive!"

"And then she has a go at Martha, practically accusing her of making the whole thing up!"

"Mum, I don't mind, just leave it." Martha didn't want to be the cause of another argument, it was Leo's birthday, couldn't they be civil just this once!

Martha was followed out of the Pub by Tish and Leo.

"Oh. 'I've been to the moon!' As if. They were drugged. It said so on the news." Annalise added.

"Since when did you watch the news? You can't even handle 'Quiz Mania'."

Tish turned to Martha. "Annalise started it. She did. I heard her."

"Trish, don't make it worse." Leo tried to intervene before it got too out of hand.

"You're talking, Leo. What did she buy you, soap? A seventy-five pence soap?" She continued unhelpfully.

"Oh, I'm never talking to your family again!" Annalise stropped off.

"Oh, stay. Have a night out." Francine shouted at her retreating form.

"Don't you dare. I'm putting my foot down. This is me, putting my foot down." Clive ran after his Girlfriend

"Dad!" Leo called.

"Make a fool of yourself! God knows, you've been doing it for the last twenty-five years! Why stop now?" Francine then stormed off, Tish following behind:

"Mum, don't! I asked the DJ and he's playing that song later..."

Martha closed her eyes, the evening was ruined again, she thought. She was about to open we eyes and cancel the party, but she was carefully pulled into a hug. Opening her eyes, she saw a mane of red hair. Smiling she pulled away and saw Thalia standing in front of her. Thalia really knew how to comfort someone. The hug was what she had really needed.

Turning around, she noticed The Doctor leaning against a wall. He turned into the nearby ally and Thalia pulled her over in the direction The Doctor had disappeared to.

She found him standing leaning against the TARDIS. Thalia then went to stand next to the TARDIS.

"I went to the moon today."

"A bit more peaceful than down here." The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"You never even told me who you are."

"The Doctor."

"What sort of species? It's not every day I get to ask that."

Again, with the questions, The Doctor thought, Thalia hadn't even asked him. "I'm a Time Lord."

"Right! Not pompous at all, then."

"We thought because you helped so much on the moon, and things are a bit hectic round here," The Doctor pointed to the Pub. "Do you want to come with us for a trip?"

"He has a new sonic screwdriver he wants to try out." Thalia rolled her eyes at The Doctor.

"What, into space?"

"Well..."

"I can't. I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent, I've got my family going mad..." Martha's career meant a lot to her, she wasn't about to give it up for a trip to space, or whatever!

"If it helps, We can travel in time, as well."

Martha's eyes were wide."Get out of here."

"We can."

"Come on now, that's going too far." She clearly didn't believe them.

"I'll prove it." The Doctor stepped into the TARDIS, closely followed by Thalia.

The TARDIS disappeared, and Martha heard the TARDIS's engines for the second time that day.

**The TARDIS - Earlier that morning**

Thalia sat on the floor, waiting for The Doctor to come back, when an idea struck her. She had been worried about The Doctor scanning her two hearts and finding out she was a Loric Garde.

She stepped up to the monitor and spoke telepathically to the TARDIS. She told the TARDIS about her problem, and asked her if she could change the results if The Doctor scanned her. The TARDIS gave a hum of understanding, and Thalia flopped to the floor again, relaxed.

The Doctor found her in the same position, five minutes later, when he returned with his tie in his hand. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Oh!" She immediately sprang to her feet, almost too quick to be humanly possible. She laughed. "Just an old habit of mine."

"Right..." The Doctor laughed as well. "Let's go show Martha."...

**Alleyway**

"Told you!" The Doctor jumped out of the TARDIS with his tie in his hand, almost laughing at the look if amazement on Martha's face.

"I know, but... that was this morning! But - Did you... Oh, my God! You can travel in time!"

Thalia stepped out of the TARDIS and helped The Doctor put his tie on, both smiling at Martha.

"But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go in to work?"

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden." The Doctor sounded like his was scolding someone.

"Except for cheap tricks." Thalia grinned.

"And that's your spaceship?" She pointed to the TARDIS.

"It's called the TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space." The Doctor explained.

"Your spaceship's made of wood." She then noticed the other problem. "There's not much room. We'd be a bit intimate. I doubt three people would even fit." She glanced warily at Thalia's quite large breasts. She didn't exactly want to be squashed in between them, she thought with a shudder.

Thalia just pushed the door open. "Take a look."

Thalia and The Doctor followed Martha in, only for her to run back outside. "Oh, no, no."

She looked around the outside of the box, feeling the sides. "But it's just a box. But it's huge. How does it do that? It's wood." She knocked on one of the wooden panels.

Running back inside, she looked around at the alien technology surrounding her. "It's like a box with that room just rammed in. It's bigger on the inside."

The Doctor mouthed the last sentence at the same time as Martha, earning a laugh from Thalia.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed." The Doctor was absolutely buzzing with the prospect of a new adventure with his brilliant new companion...s. He ran up behind Martha and slammed the door shut. He then ran past her again to stand next to Thalia at the console. "All right, then, let's get going."

"But is there a crew? Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone?"

"Just me - well us now. He looked at Thalia, who smiled back in understanding.

"All on your own?" Martha just didn't know when a subject was closed.

"Well, sometimes I have guests. I mean some friends, travelling alongside. I had - there was recently a friend of mine. Rose, her name was, Rose. And... we were together. Anyway - I have Thalia now." He hadn't noticed Thalia's flinch when he had mentioned Rose.

"Where is she now?" Martha persisted.

"With her family. Happy. She's fine. Not that you're replacing her." He suddenly turned round to Thalia, but was shocked to find she had put her mask up again; her face devoid of any emotion.

The Doctor was a bit unsettled by Thalia's behaviour, so he continued halfheartedly, "And for you, just one trip to say 'thanks', you get one trip, then back home."

"You're the one that kissed me."

"That was a genetic transfer."

"And if you will wear a tight suit..."

"Now... don't!"

"And then travel all the way across the universe just to ask me on a date..."

"Stop it."

"For the record? I'm not remotely interested. I only go for humans." Martha had noticed Thalia's second flinch when she had mentioned the kiss, and had decided to back track once she had had her fun.

"Good. Well, then." The Doctor was oblivious to Thalia's actions, because he was furious with Martha. She just didn't know when to stop.

Calming himself down, he decided to do a bit of showing off, and fly the TARDIS. "Close down the gravitic anomalizer. Fire up the helmic regulator. And finally - the hand brake. Ready?"

"No." Martha couldn't help but smile.

"Off we go." The Doctor pulled a lever, sending them all to the floor.

"Blimey, it's a bit bumpy." Martha struggled to stand up.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Jones, Miss Brown." His earlier excitement restored because of the small smile that was on Thalia's lips.

He reached out to shake their hands, as the TARDIS sent them hurtling through the vortex.

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**I need to apologize again for not posting this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please PM me, review e.c.t. I'll upload the next chose as soon as I can. Get ready for 'The Shakespeare Code'!**


	8. The Shakespeare Code - Part One

**AN: Thanks for the reviews guys, it really makes me feel like people ARE enjoying the story.**

**Check out the first chapter for my new Sherlock story. It won't be updated as soon as this one is, because I'm not too sure where it's heading yet, but I'm working on it.**

**Thanks again for the support! ;-)**

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The Shakespeare Code

Part One - Witchcraft?

Thalia subtly tried to help The Doctor pilot the TARDIS without him seeing, while they hung onto the console for dear life. It would have been much easier to pilot if The Doctor had remembered properly so she could actually see how to pilot it.

She didn't usually like to delve into his mind like she was now, but for information that wasn't personal, she was glad to make an exception if she really had to.

"But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?" Martha was nearly on the floor.

"Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything. Martha, you don't wanna know. It just does. Hold on tight!" The Doctor nearly jumped up onto the console as he frantically pulled a lever, sending all but Thalia to the floor.

"Blimey! Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?"

"Yes, and he failed it." Thalia grinned and bolted to the doors, stopping when she reached them. She turned to face them with her back to the doors, blocking the way out. "Outside this door... Brave new world." She was absolutely buzzing with the prospect of her first adventure with The Doctor.

"Now, make the most of it. I promised you one trip and one trip only." The Doctor reminded.

"Where are we?" Martha couldn't help but smile, Thalia's grin was infectious.

"Take a look." The Doctor **guestured** to Thalia who opened the door and moved out of the way.

"After you." The Doctor offered as he stepped out of the way.

Martha emerged from the TARDIS, followed by The Doctor and Thalia. The Elizabethan street they found themselves on wasn't particularly clean, but it really was what you would imagine a typical street from the 1500s to look like.

"Oh, you are kidding me. You are so kidding me. Oh, my God! We did it. We travelled in time. Where are we? No, sorry. I gotta get used to this whole new language. When are we?"

Looking up Thalia quickly grabbed The Doctor and Martha, just as the contents of a bucket was throw out, right where they had been standing two seconds earlier.

"Mind the loo!" The man shouted all too late.

"Thanks!" Martha turned to Thalia who shrugged,

"It was nothing."

"Well, we're somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that." The Doctor answered Martha's first question.

"I've seen worse. I've worked the late night shift at A&E." Martha laughed.

Thalia tuned out of the conversation when she felt a tug on her mind. Remembering the encounter, she turned around and saw her past self staring at her.

_Hang in there, everything turns out wonderful_. She telepathically reassured her past self. She knew how much that comment had meant to her. She had only retuned to Earth recently then and she had been in one of her lows. To hear those words from someone you trust, (even if it is yourself you are talking to) it can make a big difference.

Giving herself a final wave, she ran after The Doctor and Martha, who had not realised she had stopped, and were currently moving down the street.

"Elizabethan England, not so different from your time. Look over there." The Doctor pointed at a man who was shovelling manure. "They've got recycling." He then pointed to two men who were chatting by a bucket of water. "Water cooler moment.

They then walk past a man preaching about the end of the world. "... and the world will be consumed by flame!"

"Global warming." The Doctor grinned. "Oh, yes, and... entertainment! Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark right next to..."

The Doctor grabbed Thalia's hand and dragged her to the end of the street. "...the Globe Theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Through, strictly speaking, it's not a globe; it's a tetradecagon — 14 sides — containing the man himself."

"Whoa, you don't mean... is Shakespeare in there?" Martha had caught up with them and she was now staring at the Globe theatre that

"Oh, yes." Thalia replied.

"Miss Brown, will you accompany me to the theatre?"

"Yes, Mr. Smith, I will." Thalia then turned to Martha. "Miss Jones, will you accompany us to the theatre!"

"Yes, Miss Brown, I will." Martha giggled.

"When you get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare." The Doctor remarked.

"Then I could get sectioned!"

**Inside the globe theatre**

Martha, The Doctor and Thalia cheered along with the rest of the theatre, while the actors took bows.

"That's amazing! Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell. And those are men dressed as women, yeah." Martha couldn't believe she had just seen a Shakespeare play.

"London never changes." The Doctor smiled fondly.

"Where's Shakespeare?" Martha glanced around. "I wanna see Shakespeare."

Raising a fist in the air she yelled, "Author! Author!"

The Doctor and Thalia looked at her, the latter with a slightly amused smile on her lips.

"Do people shout that? Do they shout "Author"?" Martha felt like a child who had been caught doing something wrong.

Incredibly, a nearby man picked up the chanting, and it soon spread around the whole theatre.

The Doctor glanced around at the cheering audience. "Well... they do now."

Martha was about to reply, when the crowd erupted into an enormous cheer. Looking up they saw Shakespeare standing on stage, bowing and blowing kisses to people in the crowd.

Martha eyed up the playwright, she thought he was quite good looking. "He's a bit different from his portraits."

Thalia nudged Martha with a suggestive smile on her face.

"Stop it!" Martha pushed Thalia and they ended up bursting out laughing.

"What's so funny?" The Doctor had missed the joke.

Laughing even harder at The Doctor's expression, Martha dismissed him, "Don't worry, it was nothing."

"Genius. He's a genius - THE genius. The most human Human that's ever been. Now we're gonna hear him speak. Always, he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words." The Doctor fell silent in anticipation.

"Shut your big fat mouths!"

The audience laughed.

"Oh, well." The Doctor was clearly disappointed.

"You should never meet your heroes." Martha agreed.

"You have excellent taste! I'll give you that." Pointing to a man in the audience he shouted, "Oh, that's a wig!"

The audience fell about laughing.

"I know what you're all saying." Shakespeare continued, "'Loves Labour's Lost', that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius."

He gave another bow, only to jerk upright. Thalia shivered and looked over her shoulder at the stands. She had learnt to trust her feelings, especially since she had inherited John's precognition. It still gave her little feelings, even if she wasn't asleep.

"When? Tomorrow night." Shakespeare seemed a bit dazed.

The cast stood, stunned at the new revelation, while the audience cheered. "The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it 'Loves Labour's Won'!"

Martha cheered along with the rest of the audience, The Doctor and Thalia remained silent.

Leaving the Globe, Thalia and The Doctor shared a glance.

"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of 'Loves Labour's Won'." Martha turned to The Doctor.

"Exactly — the lost play. It doesn't exist — only in rumours. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. No one knows why."

"Have you got a mini-disk or something?We could tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint."

Thalia and The Doctor both looked at her and said in unison, "No."

Martha burst out laughing at the two, seemingly identical response they had given.

"What?" The Doctor was clueless, but Thalia seemed to know what was going on and quickly moved from The Doctor's side.

The Doctor still didn't understand he turned to Martha for an explanation.

"You both stopped, turned to look at me, and raised the same eyebrow. You looked like you could have been twins." Martha supplied.

The Doctor glanced at Thalia.

Noticing the silence, Martha continued, "Well, how come it disappeared in the first place?"

"Well, I was just gonna give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS but I suppose we could stay a bit longer." He was still looking at Thalia, who seemed lost in thought.

**The Elephant Inn**

"Here ya go, Will. Drink up. There's enough beer in this lodgings house to sink the Spanish." The landlady handed the three men sitting around Shakespeare's table tankards.

"Dolly Bailey, you've saved my life."

"I'll do more than that later tonight." She leant in, flirting. She then turned to a maid at the back. "And you, girl, hurry up with your tasks. The talk of gentlemen is best not overheard."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am."

"You must be mad, Will. 'Loves Labour's Won'? We're not ready. It's supposed to be next week. What made you say that?" One of the men spoke up.

"You haven't even finished it yet." The other man agreed.

"I've just got the final scene to go. You'll get it by morning."

He lifted his tankard, only to lower it in annoyance when The Doctor's head appeared around the door.

"Hello!" He knocked on the open door.

"Excuse me! I'm not interrupting, am I? Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?"

"Oh no, no, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove -" Shakespeare's mouth dropped when Thalia moved around the door. "Hey, nonny nonny. Sit right down here next to me." He turned to his friends. "You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go."

"Come on, lads. I think our William's found his new muse." Dolly and the two men left.

"Sweet lady." Thalia's eyes narrowed, but was reluctantly pushed forward by Martha, who had just entered. "Such unusual clothes. So... fitted." Shakespeare's eyes ran over her fitted grey dress.

Thalia didn't say anything, but slowly sat down on a chair.

The Doctor sat down next to Thalia, and almost let out a growl at the lust that clouded Shakespeare's eyes. He had suddenly found himself very protective of Thalia.

Martha giggled at Shakespeare's actions, pulling Thalia from her thoughts.

"This is my beautiful friend, Miss Martha Jones. I'm sure she is much more suited to your tastes." Thalia didn't want the attention, and tried to direct it to her, in her eyes, more beautiful friend.

Taking Thalia's lead, The Doctor pulled out his psychic paper. "I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS and these are my companions, Miss Thalia Brown, and Martha."

"Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank."

"Oh, that's... very clever. That proves it. Absolute genius." The Doctor was impressed.

Confused, Martha leant in and peered at the paper. "No, it says so right there. Sir Doctor, Thalia Brown, Martha Jones. It says so."

"And I say it's blank."

The Doctor tried to explain, "Psychic paper. Um, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch."

"It's a paper that let's the reader see what the holder desires, you can be anyone you want, within reason. You have to be a genius to see past the psychic filters." Thalia picked up from where The Doctor had left off.

"So that's why we can see it?" Martha understood now.

Thalia shifted in her seat and looked at her hands. "Well... You can see it, but I can't."

"Psychic. Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious feisty fire lady?" Shakespeare interrupted.

"You could always try speaking to the person you're talking about, it's considered awfully rude when the person is in the room." Thalia's voice was patronising, but outwardly she appeared cool and collected.

The Doctor and Martha snickered, but Shakespeare grinned. "I do like the ones with a bite."

"I really must congratulate you; you are the first 'Genius' I have met, that is full of arrogance and lust."

Shakespeare pursed his lips, unable to reply.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" Martha was shocked, Thalia had just beat William Shakespeare in a battle of words.

"Neither can I!" The Doctor could see the anger bubbling inside of William, while Thalia sat there, calm and completely in control.

Suddenly a man burst into the room. "Excuse me! Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed." The man was rather large, with a big black cap and a big red beard.

"Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it 'round." Shakespeare dismissed, still staring at Thalia.

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!"

"I can't." He admitted.

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled."

"It's all go, 'round here, isn't it?" Martha remarked.

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, 'Love's Labours Won' will never be played." He left the room.

"Well, then... mystery solved. That's 'Love's Labours Won' over and done with. Thought it might be something more, you know... more mysterious." Martha continued.

They hear screams and in a flash, Thalia was already out of her seat, making her way down the stairs. By the time The Doctor and Martha reached the top of the stairs, she was already in the street below, trying to help the Lynley man.

"It's that Lynley bloke." Martha paused and watched Thalia examine him.

"What's wrong with him? Leave it to men— I'm a doctor." The Doctor rushed to help Thalia, who had already put him in the recovery position.

Thalia stood up. "We're both Doctor's, please stand back, we are doing everything we can to save him. She knelt by The Doctor again, only for Lynley to stand up again, panicked.

"So am I – near enough." Martha joined her friends and tried to help.

Eyes bulging, with one final jolt, Lynley fell to the floor, dead. Thalia and The Doctor ran down the street, looking for something.

Martha listened for a heartbeat, but to no avail. "Gotta get the heart going. Mr Lynley, c'mon, can you hear me? You're gonna be all right."

She leant in, about to start mouth-to-mouth, when water gushed from his mouth. "What the hell is that?"

The Doctor came up behind Martha. "I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water — he drowned and then... I dunno, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow."

"Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away." Thalia improvised.

"Yes, miss." Dolly answered.

A maid stepped forward. "I'll do it, ma'am."

"And why are you telling them that?" Martha asked Thalia.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages. If we tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft."

"Okay, what was it then?"

The Doctor answered this time, "Witchcraft."

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**And there we have it! I hope you liked Thalia's moment with her past self an her conversation with Shakespeare! **

**Feel free to review, PM me e.c.t and if you don't understand anything, feel free to ask.**


	9. The Shakespeare Code - Part Two

**AN: All I can say is: Enjoy!**

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**The Shakespeare Code**

**Part Two - 14!?**

"I got you a room, Sir Doctor. You, Miss Brown and Miss Jones are just across the landing." She smiled.

"Thank you." Thalia nodded to her, as a sign that she was no longer needed. She left.

"Poor Lynley. So many strange events. Not least of all, this land where you come from where women can be doctors?" Shakespeare looked at The Doctor.

"Martha is from a far off land, called Freedonia." The Doctor supplied.

"Where a woman can do what she likes." Martha added.

They all got up to leave for their room, but Shakespeare called out to The Doctor, realising something, "And you, Sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?"

"I do a lot of reading." The Doctor deflected the question.

"A trite reply. Yeah, that's what I'd do." Shakespeare then turned to Martha. "And you, you look at him like you're surprised he exists. He's as much of a puzzle to you as he is to me."

"I think we should say good night." Martha left, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

He then turned to Thalia. "And how can someone so young be so wise and empathetic, have such a sadness in their eyes and such dark secrets in their heart?" He sighed again and looked down at his papers. "I must work. I have a play to complete. But I'll get my answers tomorrow, Thalia, and I'll discover more about you and why this constant performance of yours."

The Doctor and Thalia made their way through the door, but The Doctor looked back and said, "All the world's a stage."

"Hmm, I might use that. Good night, Doctor, Thalia." Shakespeare dismissed them.

"Nighty-night, Shakespeare." He replied.

In the corridor, The Doctor glanced at Thalia. Shakespeare's words seemed to have unsettled her. Any flicker of emotion that should be there had disappeared. He really needed to find out why she was always hiding her feelings.

Back in the bedroom, Martha examined the room. When Thalia and The Doctor walked in, she looked up and wrinkled her nose. "It's not exactly five-star, is it?"

"Oh, it'll do." The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I've seen worse."

"I haven't even got a toothbrush."

"Ooh." The Doctor patted his pockets and pulled out a toothbrush. "Contains Venusian spearmint."

"So, who's going where? I mean, there's only one bed."

"I can sleep on the floor." Thalia sat down with her back to the wall, and crossed her legs.

"You can't sleep there!" The Doctor exclaimed. "You won't be able to sleep at all."

"I've slept in a lot worse." Thalia dismissed them with a wave of her hand. In truth she didn't even need to go to sleep, her body could take up to three nights without sleep until she would feel tired.

Sighing in defeat, The Doctor jumped on the bed, leaving Martha standing. "So, magic and stuff. That's a surprise. It's a little bit 'Harry Potter'."

"Wait till you read Book Seven. Oh, I cried."

"But is it real, though? I mean, witches, black magic and all that, it's real?"

"'Course it isn't!" The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Well, how am I supposed to know? I've only just started believing in time travel. Give me a break." Martha defended.

"Looks like witchcraft, but it isn't. Can't be. Are you gonna stand there all night?" The Doctor stared at her disbelievingly. She was acting like a spoilt child, complaining about the room, asking questions with obvious answers.

"Sorry, there's not much room. Us two here, same bed. Tongues will wag."

Now she was flirting with him! The Doctor continued as if he hadn't heard. "There's such a thing as psychic energy but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we'd have spotted that." Turning on his side, he faced Martha, concentrating. "No. There's something I'm missing."

Turning so they were now face to face, Martha stared intently at The Doctor.

"Something really close, staring me right in the face and I can't see it." He continued, still ignoring her further attempts at flirting. "Rose would know. A friend of mine, Rose. Right now, she'd say exactly the right thing." The Doctor turned back on his back and stared back at the ceiling, deep in thought. "Still, can't be helped. You're a novice, never mind. I'll take you back home tomorrow."

"Great!" Martha was put out by the sudden dismissal, and turned her back on The Doctor, blowing out the candle, plunging them in darkness.

Thalia still sat, awake, pressed up against the wall, also in deep thought. She wasn't sure if she would be able to cope with Martha's continual attempts at flirting, and The Doctor's constant mention of Rose all the time. She was finding it hard enough to hide everything about who and what she was behind her 'armour' as she called it, without all that on top. The Doctor just couldn't know who she was. He wasn't ready to Tie to her after Rose. Every time The Doctor mentioned Rose, it opened this hole in her heart, it felt like being rejected over and over again. It wasn't The Doctor's fault, she knew, he didn't know how much pain it was causing her. He didn't even know she was his Tie, she could only take comfort in the fact that he was ignoring Martha's continuous flirting.

Thalia knew The Doctor was still awake, she could feel the buzz of his mind behind the door in her mind that had been created when she had half tied to him, as he tried to work out their most recent mystery.

She knew she should warn Shakespeare before her past self came waltzing into his life. She found it really hard, seeing him so different from when she knew him. It was her past, but his future.

She was also worried about the Tie. She knew that The Doctor and her acting the same as him were affects of the half-Tie she had with him, and she hoped he hadn't noticed anything suspicious. She really had to try harder to push it away. To The Doctor, she was just an ordinary companion, nothing special, just an ordinary human. And it would stay that way until he had completely got over Rose. Then she would tell him.

Hearing a scream from Shakespeare's room, Thalia jumped up, and bolted out of the room, closely followed by The Doctor. Martha hurried along after them, still sleepy from her rude awakening.

Entering the room, Thalia and The Doctor shoved the door aside, causing Shakespeare to wake up with a start. "Wha'? What was that?"

Thalia and The Doctor bent down over Dolly's body, hoping to save her, but were too late. Sighing, they looked at Martha, who Was standing at the window, in shock. "Doctor? Thalia?"

They both joined Martha at the window, but, again, they were too late.

"What did you see?" Thalia inquired.

"A witch."

After that, Dolly's body had been taken away and Martha found herself sitting with The Doctor and Thalia at Shakespeare's desk. "Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit."

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." The Doctor quoted.

"I might use that." Shakespeare pondered on the words.

Yet again The Doctor and Thalia replied in unison. "You can't. It's someone else's."

Shakespeare looked between them for a few moments, a ghost of a smile on his face, before he shared a glance with Martha.

After a moments hesitation, Thalia realised what Martha was about to say and cut in before she could comment. "No! Just don't say anything I'm thinking, we need to sort this out."

"Ok, ok! I won't say anything!" Martha assured, still grinning at their actions. "But the thing is, Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you."

"You're accusing me?" Shakespeare turned serious again, but was still looking between The Doctor and Thalia, who had identical expressions of deep thought on their faces.

"No, but I saw a witch, big as you like, flying, cackling away, and you've written about witches."

"I have? When was that?"

"Not, not quite yet." The Doctor muttered under his breath. He hadn't realised that he had acted the same as Thalia again, because he had been too deep in thought.

"Peter Streete spoke of witches." Shakespeare said thoughtfully.

"Who's Peter Streete?" Martha asked.

"Our builder. He sketched the plans to the Globe." He replied.

"The architect. Hold on. The architect! The architect!" The Doctor slammed his fist on the table.

"Yes!" Thalia had also worked it out. "We have to go to Globe! Come on!"

She ran out of the door, followed by The Doctor, with Shakespeare and Martha trying to catch up.

**Inside the Globe theatre**

The Doctor stood in the pit, while Thalia, Martha and Shakespeare stood on the stage.

"The columns there, right? 14 sides. I've always wondered but I never asked... tell me, Will, why 14 sides?" The Doctor asked Shakespeare.

"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all. Said it carried the sound well."

"Why does that ring a bell? 14…" The Doctor couldn't remember where he had heard it from.

"There are 14 lines in a sonnet." Martha suggested.

"So there is. Good point. Words and shapes following the same design." He started pacing around, messing up his hair in frustration. "14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets…Oh, my head. Tetradecagon... think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!"

"This is just a theatre." Shakespeare argued.

Thalia sat on the edge of the stage, with a far off look in her eyes. "Oh, but a theatre's magic, isn't it? You should know. Stand on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis a the right time... Oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy, change them. You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that..."

Martha interrupted her train of thought. "It's like you're police box. Small wooden box with all that POWER inside."

"Oh. Oh, Martha Jones, I like you. Tell you what, though. Peter Streete would know. Can I talk to him?" The Doctor turned to Shakespeare again.

"You won't get an answer. A month after finishing this place... lost his mind."

"Why? What happened?" The Doctor was interested now.

"Started raving about witches, hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled." Shakespeare replied.

"Where is he now?"

"Bedlam."

"What's Bedlam?" Martha had heard the name before, but just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Bethlem Hospital. The madhouse." Shakespeare explained.

"We're gonna go there. Right now. Come on." Thalia hopped off the stage and followed The Doctor.

"Wait! I'm coming with you. I want to witness this at first hand!" Just as Shakespeare reached the door, two of his actors entered.

"Ralph, the last scene as promised. Copy it, hand it round. Learn it. Speak it. Back before curtain up. Remember, kid, project. Eyes and teeth. You never know — the Queen might turn up." He handed Ralph the paper, but as he walked out he muttered, "As if. She never does."

When Martha and Shakespeare finally found The Doctor and Thalia, who were both leaning against the wall of an alleyway, they were in deep conversation.

"So, tell me of Freedonia, where women can be doctors, writers, and actors." Shakespeare was curious about Martha, and tried to visualise this culture that was so different from the one he was used to.

"This country's ruled by a woman." Martha countered.

"Ah, she's royal. That's God's business." He then turned to Thalia. "Though you are a royal beauty."

Martha stared at him disbelievingly. "Whoa, Nelly! I know for a fact you've got a wife in the country."

"But Martha, this is Town. And I do like it when they play hard to get." He sent Thalia a wink.

"Come on. We can all have a good flirt later." The Doctor received a glare from Thalia, but couldn't help but feel somehow really relieved that Thalia wasn't interested. He couldn't think why. It was probably because he liked traveling with women who didn't fall for every man they met and thought was good looking.

"Is that a promise, Doctor?" Shakespeare grinned mischievously.

"No it certainly well isn't! You can try to flirt with someone else, because I'm NOT interested in hearing you act like the big headed man you really are, instead of using your words for something worthwhile!" She found it so hard that he was being selfish again. When she had last seen him he had been wise, now he was just plain arrogant. She stormed off in the direction of the hospital. The Doctor ran after her, followed quickly by a glaring Martha, leaving Shakespeare to make his own way to the hospital.

**Bethalm Hospital**

Thalia inwardly flinched at the sounds of the men being tortured, but made sure none if it could be seen in her expression. Places like this brought back terrible memories, the worst of which, she still had the scars; mentally and physically. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down, and focused on finding out as much as she could.

"Does my lord, Doctor, wish some entertainment while he waits? I'd whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for ya. Bandog and Bedlam!" The Jailer smirked and reached for a whip.

Thalia reached forward, and with a sickly sweet voice she said, "How about I whip you till the floor has a carpet of your blood, then I lock you inside one of these cells, while you are trapped inside your own mind, and leave you to starve. Then you can put on a show yourself, without any of your helpers. How does that sound?" Her voice had a dangerous edge to it.

W... Wait here, my lords, while I make him decent for the ladies." He scurried away.

The others stood, shocked at the sudden outburst.

"So this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry? And you put your friend in here?" Martha totally agreed with Thalia.

"Oh, and it's all so different in Freedonia." Shakespeare remarked.

"But you're clever! Do you honestly think this place is any good?" Martha still argued. Thalia put a hand on Martha's shoulder and subtly shook her head, but Shakespeare still saw.

"I've been mad. I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose." He revealed.

"Mad in what way?"

"You lost your son." Thalia's voice was soft and empathetic.

"My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there."

"I didn't know. I'm sorry." Martha felt suddenly ashamed.

"It made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be... oh, that's quite good."

"You should write that down." The Doctor advised him.

"Hm, maybe not. A bit pretentious?"

"This way, m'lord!" The jailer called out to them, careful to stay well away from Thalia.

They stepped into the dingy cell, where the jailer cautioned them, "They can be dangerous, m'lord. Don't know their own strength."

"I think it helps if you don't whip them! Now get out!" The Doctor glanced at Thalia, who had her fists clenched in anger. He steeped towards the man who was sitting in the middle of the room on a mound of hay. "Peter? Peter Streete?"

"He's the same as he was. You'll get nothing out of him." Shakespeare looked at his old friend in pity.

"You went to see him?" Thalia thought she saw a glimpse of HER Shakespeare.

"Yes, obviously, you don't just abandon a friend to a place like this. Shakespeare gestured to the cell and bars.

Thalia smiled.

"Peter?" The Doctor persisted, placing a hand on Peter's shoulder. Peter looked up sharply, and stared at The Doctor with wild glassy eyes.

Thalia came to stand behind The Doctor, offering support. She knew how draining it could be to reach into an unfamiliar mind.

"Peter, I'm the Doctor. Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back, back to when everything was fine and all that happened in this year since happened to somebody else. It was just a story. A winter's tale. Let go. Listen. That's it, just let go."

Thalia eased Peter down onto his cot and spoke with a soft voice, "Tell us the story, Peter. Tell us about the witches."

"Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. THEIR design! The 14 walls — always 14. When the work was done," he laughed manically, "they sapped poor Peter's wits."

"Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city?" The Doctor started to get more impatient. "Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me where were they?"

"Calm down!"

The Doctor looked up to see Thalia, with her hands on his shoulders. Instantly he relaxed at her touch.

"Peter." Thalia began speaking to Peter. Her voice even more gentle than before, as if she were speaking to a small child, or a mouse. "Where were the witches?"

"All Hallows Street." Peter answered.

A grotesque witch appeared behind The Doctor and Thalia. "Too many words."

Jumping back, The Doctor stood by Martha, but Thalia went and whispered in Shakespeare's ear.

"What the hell?" Martha's jaw hit the floor.

"Just one touch of the heart." She leant over Peter...

"Not if I can help it!" Thalia rushed forward and pushed the witch to the floor, while Shakespeare pulled Peter back, just as instructed.

Thalia pushed the witch into the corner of the room and leapt up, running back to Stand next to The Doctor.

"Just one touch..." The witch stood up and began to inch closer to The Doctor and Thalia. "Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals."

Martha, in a burst of panic, ran to the door and rattled the bars. "Let us out! Let us out!"

"That's not gonna work. The whole building's shouting that." The Doctor reasoned.

"Who will die first, hmm?"

"Well, if you're looking for volunteers..." The Doctor stepped forward.

"Then we'll be happy to oblige." Thalia came to stand next to The Doctor.

"No! Don't!" Martha didn't know what they were thinking.

"Doctor, Thalia, can you stop her?" Shakespeare wondered.

"No mortal has power over me." The witch cackled.

"Oh, but there's a power in words. If I can find the right one — if I can just know you..." The Doctor started to think out loud.

"None on Earth has knowledge of us." The witch revealed, taking another step closer to the pair.

"Then it's a good thing we're here. Now think, think, think... Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy... ah, 14! That's it! 14! The 14 stars of the Rexel planetary configuration!"

The Doctor was interrupted by Thalia, who leapt forward. "Creature, I name you Carrionite!" She pointed at the witch, who started to wail, disappearing before they could do anything.

"What did you do?"

"I named her. The power of a name." Thalia shrugged.

"That's old magic." The Doctor explained.

"But there's no such thing as magic." Martha couldn't get her head around what was going on.

"Well, it's just a different sort of science. You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites use words instead."

"Use them for what?" Martha asked.

"The end of the world."

* * *

**I hope you liked Thalia's feisty side, and I hope the Tie and her past are a tiny bit more clearer now.**

**Thank you for wonderful reviews. I wrote this chapter thinking I had 10 reviews (which I thought was a big achievement since this is my first story) and when I came to post is chapter, I had 16!**

**I really love seeing you respond to my story, and I wanted to give some notes on some reviews:**

**I'm glad that all the people who have said they are enjoying the story, are really liking Thalia, it took a long time for me to really build the image I wanted of her and I wanted to ask what you thought of her.**

**I also had some suggestions on the reviews, and I'm DEFINITELY going to have at least one scene on Lorien with Thalia and The Doctor, but Martha probably won't be there.**

**If you have any questions about the story, the Tie, or Thalia, you can always PM me or drop review and I'll be happy to answer, as long as it doesn't ruin any of the surprises I have planned for you guys ;-)**

**Thanks again for the reviews, keep reading, I will update as soon as I can! :-)**


	10. The Sakespeare Code - Part Three

**AN: 20 reviews! Can't believe it! Hope you like the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**The Shakespeare Code**

**Part Three - Expelliarmus!**

"The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend." The Doctor sat on Shakespeare's desk, explaining the aliens that now planned to take over the world, while Thalia was in the corner of the room, trying to help Peter.

"Well, I'm going for real." Shakespeare stated.

"But what do they want?" Martha wondered.

"A new empire on Earth. A world of bones and blood and witchcraft." Thalia called from her position in the corner. "That's what they are, vicious creatures with a lust for blood." She was subtly channeling her healing powers into Peter's mind, hopefully curing him.

"But how?"

"I'm looking at the man with the words." The Doctor turned to Shakespeare, but was interrupted again.

"Will?" Peter stood up from his position in the corner, looking as if he had opened his eyes for the first time in years, and made his way towards his old friend.

"Peter?" Shakespeare enveloped Peter in a hug, relieved.

Thalia smiled widely, glad that she had done something good for a change.

"How did you do that?" The Doctor was amazed. It certainly was weird that she could rattle off facts. He had noticed she knew a LOT more than Martha, and never asked any questions. Now she had just cured a man of madness, that was downright suspicious.

It wasn't that he didn't trust her, she had saved his life twice now. It was just odd that she knew so much. He hadn't realised that Sarah had told her so much. She was a genius, after all, and she could probably remember everything that Sarah Jane had ever taught her.

"I took phycology at A Level when I was in Year 9. All I had to do was tap into the subconscious part of his brain that remained intact, present it with something familiar, that would act as a sort of motivator, and draw his subconscious to the front, restoring his senses temporarily. He will still need at least two months to recuperate and bounce back to the mental strength of a man who can manage on his own, but as long as he is given the attention he needs, he should be fine." Thalia explain with so much logic and professionalism in her voice, it was hard for The Doctor to doubt her.

He decided that she could be trusted for now, but he wasn't about to ignore the fact that he didn't know much about her. He would leave it for now.

Martha and Shakespeare were both staring at Thalia with wide eyes. Martha hadn't know about Thalia's intellect, because she hadn't been present when Thalia had made her excuses.

Leading Peter out of the room, Thalia turned back and, apparently oblivious to the stares she had received, said, "I need to find Peter a room to stay in so he can begin his restoration sleep. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Shakespeare let out a low whistle. "She's quite a character you have on your hands."

"Tell me about it." The Doctor muttered under his breath.

"Did you know she was clever? She knows a lot about aliens too." Martha gave the door a suspicious glance, as if Thalia was standing right outside.

"Yes." The Doctor sighed. "She was a child genius that was targeted by a group of aliens. To cut a long story short, she met one of my friends, who knew a lot about aliens, and gained her knowledge from her, and, as far as I can gather, has been investigating aliens ever since."

The Doctor sat back, pensive, while Shakespeare also withdrew to the depths of his mind, contemplating The Doctor's words, leaving Martha to drum her fingers in the desk until Thalia got back.

Five minutes later, Thalia waltzed through the door, and sunk into the vacant chair next to The Doctor. "He's all settled in. You'll need to check on him later tomorrow night." She ordered the still silent Shakespeare.

"Mmm..." Shakespeare nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"What were you doing last night, when that Carrionite was in the room?" Thalia asked, trying to make sense of the mess of the mystery that surrounded them.

Shakespeare shrugged. "Finishing the play."

"What happens on the last page?" The Doctor leant forward in his seat, picking up where Thalia had left off.

"The boys get the girls. They have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought provoking as usual — except those last few lines. Funny thing is... I don't actually remember writing them."

The Doctor leapt to his feet and started to pace about the room. "That's it. They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. 'Love's Labours Won' — it's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play's the thing! And yes, you can have that."

Thalia quickly grabbed a bunch of scrolls from a nearby shelf and dumped them on the table. "We can look through these."

"What are they?" The Doctor looked at her.

"Maps."

The Doctor grinned.

Shakespeare helped Thalia and The Doctor search through the maps that seemed to cover every available table space.

"All Hallows Street. There it is. Martha, Thalia, we'll track them down. Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!" The Doctor was ready for action.

"I'll do it." Shakespeare grinned along with the Thalia and The Doctor. "All these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you two, I know nothing."

"Oh, don't complain." Martha sighed.

"I'm not. It's marvellous. Good luck, Doctor." Shakespeare waved at the trio that were now at the door.

"Good luck, Shakespeare. Once more unto the breach!" The Doctor quoted him again.

"I like that." Shakespeare nodded his head, only to stop soon after. "Wait a minute... that's one of mine."

"Oh, just shift!" The Doctor just rolled his eyes.

**All Hallows Street**

"All Hallows Street, but which house?" The Doctor, Thalia and Martha came to a stop when they reached the street they were looking for.

The street was as normal as it could get for a street from the 1500s. It didn't look too suspicious, but Martha couldn't help but shiver.

"The thing is, though... am I missing something here? The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me — I'm living proof." Martha looked around, as if expecting the world to end any second now.

"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux?" The Doctor sighed and tried to find a simple enough explanation for Martha to understand. "I know! 'Back to the Future'! It's like 'Back to the Future'!"

"The film?" Martha asked.

"No, the novelisation." He sarcastically replied. "Yes, the film. Marty McFly goes back and changes history."

"And he starts fading away." Martha remembered, before realising the gravity of the situation they were in. "Oh my God, am I gonna fade?"

"You and the entire future of the human race. It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it. But which house?" The Doctor snapped back to the real reason they were there, and began to look around.

The door of the house opposite them slowly opened, creaking on its rusty hinges.

"Make that WITCH house." Thalia smirked as they made their way inside.

A woman stood in the centre of the room, waiting for them.

"I take it we're expected." The Doctor stepped through first.

"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you a very long time." The witch looked The Doctor up and down, clearly liking what she saw.

"Do you have a name?" Thalia asked, her eyes not leaving the clear threat in the room.

"You can call me Lilith... For now."

"Right then, it's my turn." Martha stepped forward. "I know how to do this." She pointed at Lilith. "I name thee, Carrionite!"

Martha stood there for a couple of seconds. When she realised it hadn't worked, she asked, "What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?"

"The power of a name works only once. Observe." It was Lilith's turn to point. "I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones."

Collapsing into Thalia's arms, Martha fell asleep. Thalia gently laid her on the floor, and bent down to check her vitals.

"What have you done?" The Doctor glared at Lilith.

"Only sleeping, alas. Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And as for you, Sir Doctor!" Again, she pointed, by didn't receive a reaction. "Fascinating. There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair? Oh, but look. There's still one mystery I haven't placed yet."

Lilith walked forward and when she was a foot or so in front of Thalia, she looked her in the eye. "Even more curious. So many names... Which to chose? Sarah? No. Sam? No, I'm wrong again.

"You won't find my weakness in words." Thalia still looked calm.

"But your heart grows cold. The days without him are long and you'll never see you precious... John."

Thalia still stood, unaffected.

"But there's a power in numbers now! I can see it. Yes! Now I've found you... Number... Six!"

Thalia stiffened as a searing pain ran through her head. She knew she would be unconscious if she were a human, but she was trying her hardest to not show any pain on her face. Slowly, she sauntered away, coming to a stop when she reached the wall. She leant her back against the cool plaster, and let it take her body weight.

Not noticing anything odd with Thalia's behaviour, The Doctor turned back to Lilith. "The Carrionites vanished! Where did you go?"

"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness." Lilith spun around, obviously annoyed at admitting their defeat.

"And how did you escape?" The Doctor inquired further.

"New words. New and glittering from a mind like no other."

"Shakespeare."

"His son perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance." Lilith eyed The Doctor again, almost earning a growl from Thalia. She knew the Carrionites craved the taste of flesh, and the way Lilith stared at The Doctor made her uneasy.

"How many of you?" The Doctor continued his interrogation.

"Just the three. But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic." Lilith explained.

"Hmm... busy schedule... but first you gotta get past me." The Doctor stepped so he was towering over Lilith.

"Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape." She ran her finger over his face, her voice seductive.

Thalia felt rage bubble up inside her, but managed to keep in contained by clenching her fists. It was hard for her to take her anger out on anything; having the strength of ten men had its downsides as well as its perks.

"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me." The Doctor warned.

"Oh, we'll see." She reached up and snatched a lock of his hair from the back of his head, quickly backing away until she was in front of the window.

The Doctor's hands flew to the back if his head. "What did you do?

"Souvenir."

"Well, give it back!" The Doctor lunged at her, but she threw her arms up, opening the window behind her. She flew out backwards and started levitating outside.

It took everything within Thalia to stop her from using her Telekenisis to chase Lilith.

"Well, that's just cheating." The Doctor sighed.

"Behold, Doctor. Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets." She whipped out a puppet from her pocket and wrapped the hair around it.

"Now, you might call that magic... I'd call that a DNA replication module."

Thalia ran to The Doctor's side when she realised Lilith's plan.

"What use is your science now?" Stabbing the doll, she cackled and flew away, while The Doctor collapsed into Thalia's arms, apparently dead.

Martha quickly woke up and rushed forward to Thalia, who was gently lowering The Doctor to the floor. Pushing past the redhead, she started to panic. "Oh my God! Doctor! Don't worry, I've got you."

She pushed him onto his back and checked for a heartbeat. Only for her to roll her eyes. "Hold on, mister. Two hearts?"

"Aaaah!" He nearly fell over, but Thalia rushed forward and caught him before he could hit the floor. "I've only got one heart working. How do you people cope? I've got to get the other one started. Hit me! Hit me on the chest!"

Thalia whacked him on his front and back, where his failed heart was, and helped him to his feet.

"Ahh, lovely. There we go! Ba-da-boom! Well, what are you standing there for? Come one! The Globe!" He rushed out of the room, with Martha and Thalia close on his heels.

**The Globe Theatre: Backstage**

Thalia burst through the backstage door, but stopped short when she noticed Shakespeare lying on the floor, rubbing his head. The Doctor ran into the back of Thalia, sending them both to the floor.

Martha then ran in, but started laughing when she saw the duo lying on the floor.

"I believe you are on top of me." Thalia looked up at The Doctor, who immediately leapt up, his expression seemingly annoyed.

"Stop the play! I think that was it. Yeah, I said, "Stop the play"!" He looked down at Shakespeare, who was laughing.

"I hit my head"

"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald." The Doctor sighed.

A scream from onstage caused Thalia to run out.

"I think that's my cue!" The Doctor followed her.

Martha, out of good manners, helped Shakespeare up and they ran out together.

"Now begins the millennium of blood!" Lilith cackled from her seat in the stands. When she noticed The Doctor, she gasped. "The Doctor! He lives! Then watch this world become a blasted heath! They come! They come!"

The Carrionites were released from the crystal and began to whirl around the stands.

Thalia spun around to Shakespeare. "Come on, Will! History needs you! Put those brilliant words to use."

"But what can I do?" He put his hands up in despair.

"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it!" The Doctor explained.

"But what words? I have none ready!" Shakespeare protested.

"You're William Shakespeare!" The Doctor argued.

"But these Carrionite phrases, the need such precision!"

"Trust yourself." Thalia's voice was soft, reassuring. "When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, don't they? Like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm — words that last forever! That's what you do, Will! You choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise!"

"Close up this den of hateful, dire decay! Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Thalia tells me I am not!" Shakespeare shouted into the din.

"No! Words of power!" The Carrionites wailed.

"Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show! Between the points..." He looked to The Doctor for the coordinates.

"7-6-1-3-9-0!"

"7-6-1-3-9-0!" He repeated. "And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..." Shakespeare looked to The Doctor, who couldn't think of the right word.

"Expelliarmus!" Martha interrupted, earning a laugh from Thalia.

"Expelliarmus!" Shakespeare finished.

"Good old JK!" The Doctor added.

"The deep darkness! They are consumed! Ahhh!" The Carrionites screamed as they were sucked into the tornado that had formed, taking with them all the copies of the play.

"'Love's Labours Won'. There it goes." The Doctor looked up at the masterpiece that would never be remembered.

The crowd, after a shocked but relieved pause, started to clap and cheer, thinking the whole thing had been part of the play.

The actors took centre stage, joining Martha and Shakespeare, but The Doctor and Thalia ducked out of the way and made their way to the box that the witches had once occupied.

Thalia picked up the globe that the Carrionites were trapped in, and handed it to The Doctor. Somehow she knew it would en up in one of his bigger-on-the-inside pockets...

**The Globe Theatre: The Next Morning**

Thalia laid on the edge of the stage with her legs dangling down, while Martha and Shakespeare sat nearby, talking.

"And I say, a heart for a hart and a dear for a deer." Shakespeare told Martha a joke.

"I don't get it."

"Then give me a joke from Freedonia."

"OK, Shakespeare walks into a pub and the landlord says "oi, mate, you're bard"." She looked at him expectantly, but he just shook his head.

"Doesn't make sense!"

"I don't know how to tell you this, oh great genius, but your breath doesn't half stink." They all fell about laughing.

The Doctor emerged from backstage wearing a ruff and carrying a large skull.

"Good props store back there! I'm not sure about this though," he lifted the skull up, "Reminds me of a Sycorax."

"Sycorax." Shakespeare tried it out on his tongue. "Nice word. I'll have that off you as well."

"I should be on 10%. How's your head?" The Doctor asked.

"Still aching." Shakespeare rubbed his head.

"Here, I got you this." He removed the ruff from his neck and placed it around his Shakespeare's neck. "Neck brace. Wear that for a few days till it's better, although you might wanna keep it. It suits you."

"What about the play?" Martha was sad at the thought of a great piece of work being forgotten.

"Gone. I looked all over — every single copy of 'Love's Labours' Won went up in the sky." The Doctor reassured her.

"My lost masterpiece." Shakespeare sighed.

"You could write it up again." Martha suggested.

"Yeah, better not, Will. There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten." The Doctor sent Martha a meaningful look.

"Oh, but I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my boy — my precious Hamnet."

"Hamnet?" Martha thought he was joking.

"That's him." Shakespeare nodded.

"Ham-NET?" Martha repeated, amazed.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Anyway, time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot," he removed the globe from his pocket, "can scream for all eternity and I've gotta take Martha back to Freedonia."

"You mean travel on through time and space." Shakespeare guessed, earning a clap from Thalia and a shocked look from Martha and The Doctor.

"You what?"

"You're from another world like the Carrionites and Martha... and Thalia are from the future. It's not hard to work out."

Shakespeare rolled his eyes.

"That's... incredible. You are incredible." The Doctor shook his head, amazed that he had figured it out.

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor. Thalia, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Firery Lady..."

He was interrupted by Thalia's sudden leap to her feet. "Do you know what, Doctor? I have always wanted to look around an Elizabethan theatre backstage! I will leave you lot to your goodbyes, come and get me when you're done!" And with that, she swept offstage, once again leaving turmoil in her wake.

Well, I can't let a good sonnet go to waste." He turned to Martha. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate-" he was again interrupted, this time by one of his actors running into the theatre.

"Will! Will! You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!" He shouted.

"We're the talk of the town. She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again."

"Who? Martha asked.

"Her Majesty! She's here!"

"Queen Elizabeth I!" The Doctor said, obviously exited.

"Doctor!" She yelled.

"What?" He couldn't believe his ears.

Elizabeth accused, "My sworn enemy!"

"What?"

"Off with his head!" She turned to her guards, who started chasing them.

"What?" The Doctor repeated for the third time.

"Never mind "what", just run! See you, Will! And thanks!" Martha pushed The Doctor to the door.

"Tell Thalia that we'll meet her at the inn in ten minutes." The Doctor added, before he was gone completely, leaving a vary angry queen.

"Stop that pernicious Doctor!"

Shakespeare laughed.

The guards all left after the queen, leaving Shakespeare sitting on his own.

"Did I miss something?" Thalia emerged from backstage with a feather boa around her neck and a large black hat on her head. "Where did they go?"

Shakespeare was still laughing. "They were..."

"Wait! Don't tell me. I don't think I want to know." She groaned and sat down on the stage. "Where and when are they picking me up?"

"At the inn, in fifteen minutes." He finally answered.

"Um... There's something you need to know..." Thalia fiddled with her hands.

"That you're an alien as well and The Doctor doesn't know?"

"How did you-"

"You have too much knowledge for an average human." Shakespeare was bang on with his assumption.

"Oh... So you think I should-"

"Play it dumb? Yes, definitely. For whatever reason, you need to hide who you are from The Doctor, and that's the best way to do it." Shakespeare advised.

"Was I really that obvious?" Thalia hoped The Doctor hadn't noticed yet.

"Not to someone who isn't actively looking. I only realised because I was trying to work out who you were. As soon as The Doctor starts doubting that you're human, he will eventually notice.

"Thank you." Thalia was glad he had told her now, rather that The Doctor finding out.

"There was also another thing I need to talk to you about." Thalia was uncertain how to tell him. "I'm not just an alien, I'm also a time traveller. I have lived lots of lives throughout history, and soon, I will meet you. You need to pretend you've never met me and that you have no idea who I am. I know it sounds crazy, but you're going to have to trust me on this."

"I understand." Shakespeare shook her hand and watched as she left for the inn. She really was a remarkable woman, he really couldn't wait to meet her.

* * *

**I hope you liked this chapter. I'm trying to slowly unravel Thalia/Six's past and I want to know if anyone can guess.**

**I also wanted to thank that helpful reviewer who brought my story back to reality slightly. It really would be obvious that she isn't alien by her knowledge and it sounded better in my head than on paper.**

**I'm trying to update every Sunday and I love hearing your reviews and comments.**

**I'll update as soon as I can.**

**Thank you!**


	11. Gridlock - Part One

**Gridlock**

**Part One - Sleep...**

Thalia was happy. For the first time in ages, she was really, really happy. She was with her Tie (even if he didn't know it) and he was letting her new friend stay for longer.

"Just one trip. 'S'what I said. One trip, in the TARDIS, and then home. Although – I suppose we could – stretch the definition. Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future. How do you fancy that?" The Doctor grinned, but in Thalia's direction.

"No complaints from me!" Martha was thrilled. Another chance for an adventure.

"How about a different planet?" The Doctor suggested.

"Can we go to yours?" Martha asked.

Both Thalia and The Doctor stiffened. It was moments like these that Thalia really found hard; she couldn't comfort The Doctor because she wasn't supposed to know about the Time Lords.

The Doctor turned away from Martha, all enthusiasm gone. "Ahh, there's plenty of other places!"

"Come on, though! I mean, Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look! What's it like?" Martha was oblivious to the shift in The Doctor's mood, and still persisted.

The Doctor looked up. "Well, it's beautiful, yeah." He had a far off look and Thalia could tell he was remembering the best parts of his lost planet.

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?" Martha couldn't begin to imagine the beauty of it.

"Suppose it is." The Doctor smiled softly.

"Great big temples and cathedrals!" Martha still didn't get the hint that The Doctor didn't want to talk about it.

"Yeah."

"Lots of planets in the sky?" She guessed.

"The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever – slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow." The Doctor described his planet's beauty, trying to forget about the war. It didn't quite work.

Martha was lost in his words. "Can we go there?"

"Naah! Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home! Instead…" The Doctor was suddenly full of enthusiasm, but it was obvious to Thalia that it was fake. He was pretending Gallifrey was fine, so he could imagine it himself. "This is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth! Second hope of mankind! Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York." He stopped dancing around the console to look at his two companions. "Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built."

Martha and The Doctor threw on their jackets (Thalia hadn't brought hers) and they all stepped out into - Pouring rain.

"Oh, that's nice! Time Lord version of dazzling." Martha didn't like the rain much and it really annoyed her.

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover!" He stepped forward, but when he noticed Thalia shivering in her thin grey dress that barely reached her knees, he stopped. Martha ran off, but he took his coat off and draped it over her shoulders, leaving his arm around her subconsciously.

"Th...Thank you." Thalia shivered. She may be near enough intolerant to heat, but cold was definitely one of her weaknesses.

When they caught up with Martha, they finally took the time to notice where they were. they seemed to be in what only could be described as a junk-ridden street.

"Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me. On a Wednesday afternoon." Martha grumbled, her mood darkening further when she noticed Thalia, who still had The Doctor's coat and arm around her. The Doctor hadn't even noticed his arm was there.

"Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look." The Doctor stepped towards a dead a screen and lowered his arm from around Thalia, still oblivious. Sonicing the screen, he banged on the top of the monitor and a woman with blonde hair appeared.

"– and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway."

The screen switched to show New New York, but clearly above ground.

The Doctor tapped the screen. "Oh, that's more like it! That's the New we had last time. This must be the lower levels. Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under-city."

"You've brought me to the slums?" Martha couldn't believe it.

"Much more interesting! It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city." He defended.

"You'd enjoy anything." Martha tried to inch closer to The Doctor, who seemed to want to stand next to Thalia.

"That's me. Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!" The Doctor looked up at the sky and smiled.

"When you say "last time", was that you and Rose?" Martha bluntly asked.

Thalia inwardly flinched.

"Um – yeah. Yeah, it was, yeah." The Doctor dismissed.

"You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?" She persisted.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Just – ever heard the word "rebound"?" She pushed past The Doctor and started walking forward, but jumped in fright when a man flipped open one of the green boxes to reveal a street vendor's cart. "Oh! You should have said. How long you been there? Happy! You want Happy!"

Suddenly the whole street was filled with the shouts of the people in the stalls.

"Customers! Customers! We've got customers!"

"We're in business! Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read!"

"Happy, Happy, lovely happy Happy!"

"Anger! Buy some Anger!"

"Get some Mellow, makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long!"

"Younger, them. They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?"

Thalia frowned. "No, thanks."

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha couldn't get her head around what they were doing.

"I think they're selling moods." The Doctor replied darkly.

"Same thing, isn't it?" Martha shrugged.

Their conversation was cut short when a bedraggled looking woman with a dirty black coat and very pale skin strode up to one of the vendor's.

"Over here, sweetheart! That's it, come on, I'll get you first!"

"Oy! Oy, you! Over here! Over here! Buy some Happy!" The Pharmacists fought for what they could tell was their only chance at a customer.

"I want to buy Forget." She meekly stepped up to the kinder looking woman.

"I've got Forget, my darling. What strength? How much you want forgetting?"

"It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway."

"Oh, that's so sweet." The Pharmacist reached behind her and pulled out a small circular token and held it out to the pale woman. "Try this. Forget Forty-three. That's twopence."

Paying the Pharmacist, the woman turned away with the token in her hand, but was quickly stopped by The Doctor and Thalia before she could do anything.

"Sorry, but – hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?" The Doctor asked.

"They drove off." The woman shrugged.

Thalia put her hand on the woman's arm, offering a small amount of comfort. "They might drive back."

"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end. I've lost them." The woman sighed and shrugged Thalia off.

"But they can't have gone far. You could find them." The Doctor suggested.

The woman just looked at him for a moment, before reaching up and sticking the forget on her neck.

"No, no – no, don't!" The Doctor tried to stop her, but he was too late.

The woman's expression lightened considerably and seemed blissfully ignorant to her surroundings. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Your parents. Your mother and father. They're on the motorway." Thalia tried, by to no avail.

"Are they? That's nice. I'm sorry. I won't keep you." The woman wandered off.

Martha's face wrinkled in disgust."So that's the human race five billion years in the future. Off their heads on chemicals."

Thalia came to stand next to Martha to offer support; she was clearly put out by the situation.

Without any warning, a man and a woman jumped out behind them. The man grabbed Martha and pulled her back, while the woman grabbed Thalia and put a gun to her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. We just need three, that's all." The man begged, edging away from The Doctor.

"No, let her go! I'm warning you, let her go! Get that gun away from her! Whatever you want, I can help. Both of us, we can help. But first you've got to let her go!" The Doctor was consumed by panic at the sight of Thalia with a gun to her head. He would have thought it odd, but the danger she was in had filled his mind with a blind terror.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Sorry." The woman was nearly crying.

"You will be." Thalia muttered under her breath, completely calm about the situation. All she had to do was wait until she was out of The Doctor's sight.

The kidnappers backed into the green door behind them, dragging Thalia and a fighting Martha with them, and slammed the door in The Doctor's face.

When they were halfway down the closed off alleyway Thalia made her move.

She pulled the woman that was holding her forwards and twisted her wrist, carefully, but still quickly, bringing her to the floor. It was as natural as breathing to her. She then turned to the man who held Martha, but he quickly shoved Martha to the floor. She froze when she noticed the woman cowering at her feet. She had promised that she would never again make someone feel that helpless, but here she was, doing it again. She looked down at her hands in shame. Her demons had resurfaced.

"Give her some Sleep." The woman cried out to the man.

Also noticing her reluctance to retaliate, the man slapped the sleep patch on Thalia's neck. Her vision blurred, but she managed to stay upright, causing the man's eyes to widen in shock. After rummaging in his pockets he pulled out a stronger patch and slapped it on Thalia's neck.

She slowly sank to her knees as her mind shut down. The last thing she remembered was the slam of a door and the sound of the man and woman dragging Martha away.

**Two minutes later**

Thalia slowly came to consciousness, but kept her eyes shut in an attempt to calm her pounding brain. When she remembered the events that led to her passing out, she bolted upright. "Martha!"

"She's gone." The Doctor sighed, he hadn't been able to catch up with them. He had found Thalia collapsed on the floor and had almost completely forgotten about Martha.

Thalia jumped to her feet. "We need to find her."

She took off in the direction they had came and breezed the through the green door, which was now ajar thanks to the sonic screwdriver.

"Thought you'd come back! Do you want some happy Happy?" The Pharmacist smiled at them when they entered the street, hoping to win a customer.

Thalia was fuming, how dare these people witness Martha being taken away at gunpoint and then try and sell them drugs!

"Those people – who were they? Where did they take her?" The Doctor wanted to intervene before Thalia could get too angry. He had a feeling that the temper she had show to Shakespeare had been a small glimpse at her true redhead nature if her clenched fists were anything to go by.

"They've taken her to the motorway." The Pharmacist explained. "Looked like carjackers to me. I'd give up now. You won't see her again."

The Doctor tried to interrogate them more. "He kept on saying three, we need three. What did he mean, three?"

"It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying three adults."

"This motorway – how do we get there?"

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You can't miss it."

Thalia strode off in the direction the Pharmacist pointed.

"Tell you what – how 'bout some happy Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my love!" That was their mistake.

Thalia spun around and in a deathly quiet voice she growled, "Word of advice, all of you. Cash up. Close down. And pack your bags, because as soon as we've found her, alive and well – and we will find her, alive and well – then we're coming back. And this street is closing. Tonight!"

Thalia promptly left the street, leaving apprehensive vendors and a stunned Doctor in her wake.

**Car 4-6-5-Diamond-6**

Martha blearily opened her eyes and looked up, her vision blurred. She seemed to be inside some form of transport, on a hard black bed that wasn't very comfortable. She could just make out her two kidnappers sitting in two black chairs at the front of the vehicle.

Reaching up to her neck she found one of the tokens she had seen the man use of Thalia earlier. It was green and had the shape of a crescent moon on it. It also had a small 14 in the bottom right corner and the word sleep across the middle.

"The sky … They say the air smells like apple grass. Can you imagine?" The woman from earlier spoke to the man next to her.

"The houses are made of wood. There are jobs going in the foundries. Everyone says so!"

Seeing a gun she quickly grabbed it and pointed it at her captors, trying to put on her best 'don't mess with me face' on. "Take me back. Whoever you are, just take me back to my friends. That's all I want. I won't cause any trouble. Just take me back!"

Milo and Cheen glanced at each other.

"I'm sorry. That's not a real gun." The woman shook her head.

Martha hesitated. "Yeah, well, you would say that."

"Where do you get a gun from, these days? I wouldn't even know how to fire." The woman admitted.

Martha glared at the weapon in her hand and slowly lowered it. "No, nor me. Okay."

"What's your name?" The woman seemed genuinely interested.

"Martha. Martha Jones." She got up and walked forward until she was standing behind her captors.

"Well, I'm Cheen, and this is Milo. And I swear we're sorry. We're really, really sorry. We just needed access to the fast line, but I swear, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back and find your friends." She promised.

"Seriously?" Martha eyed Cheen, she couldn't believe her. Could she?

"I swear! Look –" she pulled back her mane of curly hair to reveal a token on her neck. It was almost identical to the one she had pulled off her neck earlier, but it had the word 'Honesty' printed on it with the number '36'. "Honesty patch."

"All the same, that's still kidnapping!" Martha glanced out at the dense fumes that obscured their view of outside. "Where are we, anyway?"

"We're on the motorway." Milo answered.

Martha stared at the windscreen again. "What's that, then? Fog?"

"That's the exhaust fumes." Cheen shrugged.

"We're going out to Brooklyn. Everyone says the air's so much cleaner, and we couldn't stay in Pharmacy Town, 'cause…" Milo trailed off and reached out to rub Cheen's knee.

Cheek grinned up at Martha. "Well, 'cause of me. I'm pregnant. We only discovered it last week. Scan says it's going to be a boy."

"Great. What do I do now, congratulate my kidnappers?" Martha hated that they were laughing and joking, when she wasn't even sure if Thalia was alright, or when she was going to get back to them both.

"Oh, we're not kidnappers. Not really."

"Nope. You're idiots! You're having a baby, and you're wearing that?" Martha reached forward and ripped the patch off Cheen's neck, which caused Cheen to give a small yelp. "Not anymore."

"This'll be as fast as we can. We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover, and then after that it's gonna take awhile, 'cause then there's no fast lane, just ordinary roads, but at least it's direct." Milo explained the journey.

"It's only ten miles." Cheen reassured.

"How long is it gonna take?" Martha wondered.

"About six years." Cheen smiled.

"What?" Martha didn't believe them.

"Be just in time for him to start school." Milo and Cheen both burst into giggles, forgetting about Martha.

"Nope. Sorry. Hold on. Six years? Ten miles in six years? How come?"

**Pharmacy Town**

The Doctor caught up with Thalia just as she reached an old rusty door with the words 'MOTORWAY ACCESS' printed on it.

"Use your screwdriver." Thalia nodded to the door, with a cloud of thunder over her head.

The Doctor took one look at her stormy eyes and didn't even hesitate. She was scary when she was like this.

When the door opened, The Doctor and Thalia stepped forward onto a platform, and were immediately smothered by the thick smog of exhaust fumes. Countless cars were all lined up in what could only be described as a huge traffic jam.

Immediately they both started coughing. The Doctor was struggling for oxygen in the fumes, while Thalia couldn't find an element that wasn't dense, to convert into oxygen.

"Hey! You daft little street strut! What are you doing, standing there? Either get out or get in! Come on!" They looked up to see a man in protective gear, lean out of a car.

Thalia reached for The Doctor's hand and dragged him into the car.

"Did you ever see the like?" The man gestured to a small woman to hand The Doctor an oxygen mask, which he handed to Thalia, only to receive it again. Thalia was recovering now she was in normal air, The Doctor needed it the most.

He finally gave in and started breathing in the oxygen, sighing in relief.

"Just standing there, breathing it in!" The man pulled off his goggles, cap and scarf, revealing he is actually a cat. "There's this story says back in the old days, on Junction Forty-Seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet!"

"Oh, you're making it up." The woman smacked him playfully.

"A fifty-foot head! Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose." He laughed.

"Stop it. That's disgusting."

"What? Did you never pick your nose?" He joked.

"Bran, we're moving!" The woman reached back and tapped him.

"Right. I'm there. I'm on it. "He leapt to his seat and he pulled a lever. They surged forward but quickly stopped again. "Twenty yards! We're having a good day."

They both smiled and turned to The Doctor and Thalia.

And who might you be, sir? Very well-dressed for a hitchhiker. I'm not too sure about her though..." He glanced at her skimpy dress that clearly wasn't too popular in New New York.

"Oi! I wasn't given any warning, if it was up to me I wouldn't be wearing this at all." Thalia crossed her arms defensively.

"Thanks. Sorry, I'm The Doctor and this is Thalia." He almost laughed at Thalia's expression, it was priceless. But he didn't like the fact that people didn't think she was proper.

"Medical man! Ha-ha! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie." Brannigan laughed to show he was joking.

"Nice to meet you." Valerie held out her hand, which both Thalia and The Doctor accepted.

Brannigan pointed to the curtain behind him. "And that's the rest of the family behind you."

Turning around, Thalia pushed back the curtain and smiled, all dark thoughts and bad mood from earlier forgotten, as she picked up one of the small bundles of fur that sat in the basket.

She moved so The Doctor could have a look and started petting the ginger kitten in her arms.

"Aww, that's nice. Hello." The Doctor picked up another kitten, this time a black one, and followed Thalia's lead.

Thalia couldn't help but smile, The Doctor looked too adorable with a little kitten in his arms. "How old are they?"

"Just two months." Valerie smiled.

Brannigan put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Poor little souls. They've never known the ground beneath their paws."

The Doctor and Thalia frowned at his words.

Noticing their looks of confusion, Brannigan continued. "Children of the motorway."

"What, they were born in here?" The Doctor asked, his frown deepening.

"We couldn't stop. We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance." Valerie explained.

"What? You've been driving for two months?" Thalia asked.

Brannigan scoffed at her words. "Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now."

The Doctor thought he hadn't heard correctly. "I'm sorry?"

"Yeah! Started out as newlyweds! Feels like yesterday." Brannigan's gaze turned soft when he looked at his wife.

Thalia felt a pang of loneliness. She wished with all her heart that The Doctor could get over Rose, and that she could tell him who she was.

"Feels like twelve years to me." Valerie rolled her eyes.

"Ahh, sweetheart, but you're still lovely." Brannigan tickled her and she giggled, happy in each others company.

"Twelve years?! How far did you come? Where did you start?" The Doctor snapped them back from their little world.

"Battery Park. It's five miles back." Brannigan stated, confused that they were confused.

"You travelled five miles in twelve years?"

"I think he's a bit slow."

Thalia took the kitten from The Doctor's hands and carried both kittens to the back of the car. Carefully she placed them in the basket and stood back next to The Doctor.

"Where are you from?" Valerie wondered why they didn't deem to know about anything.

"Never mind that, I've got to get out. My friend's in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. I should get back to the TARDIS." The Doctor spun around and opened the car door, only to find the lay-by gone.

"You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by."

The Doctor coughing, closed the door.

"You're a passenger now, Sonny Jim! You and your friend will have to stay in the car." Brannigan informed them.

"When's the next lay-by?" Thalia couldn't stand not knowing if Martha was ok.

"Oh … six months?"

* * *

**AN: thank you for your wonderful reviews, it really means a lot to me.**

**I probably would have got this chapter up sooner, but it's my birthday on Tuesday and I've been really busy.**

**I hoped you liked The Doctor's moment with Thalia and the coat. I love it when he holds the kitten in the show as well - it's so cute!**

**I'm open to any feedback - The usual: Review, PM me e.c.t I love hearing you lot suggest different ideas.**

**Thank you! Until next time! ;-)**


	12. Gridlock - Part Two

**AN: I am so so so so so so so so sport that I haven't been able to update sooner, I'll explain later, anyway enjoy the next chapter :-) (FINALLY)**

* * *

**Gridlock**

**Part Two - Motorway Foot Patrol**

"How many cars are out there?" Martha stood, looking up at the millions of cars surrounding them and couldn't help but hope that Thalia and The Doctor were inside one, coming to rescue her.

"I don't think anyone knows." Cheen looked out with Martha. She reached behind and handed Martha a large wafer. "Here you go. Hungry?"

"Oh, thanks." Martha took the food gratefully and sat back on the bed to munch on her snack. "About how far down is it to this fast lane?"

"Oh, it's right at the bottom, underneath the traffic jam. But not many people can afford three passengers, so it's empty down there. Rumor has it you can reach up to thirty miles per hour." Milo grinned, exited.

"Wow. That's, like, crazy." Martha sarcastically commented, rolling her eyes. She sat silent for a few moments, before another thought occurred. "But how are you supposed to live inside this thing? It's tiny."

"Oh, we stocked up. Got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise, and there's a chemical toilet at the back. And all waste products are recycled as food." At Cheen's words, Martha stopped eating immediately, glaring at it suspiciously.

"Oh-kay." She dropped the wafer and tried not to think about what had just been in her mouth.

"Oh, another gap, this is brilliant!" Milo pointed.

The transmitter sparked to life. "Car sign in."

Milo grabbed the mouthpiece."Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on descent to fast lane, thank you very much."

"Please drive safely." The car descended.

**Twenty Layers Above**

The Doctor stood, leaning over a screen to the side, trying to ring the police. "I need to talk to the police."

"Thank you for your have been placed on hold." An electric voice stated.

The Doctor stared incredulously at the unhelpful screen. "But you're the police!"

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." The electronic voice repeated.

The Doctor started to grow more and more frustrated at their lack of success. He pushed past Thalia and leant over the two chairs at the front of the car, speaking to Valerie and Brannigan. "Is there anyone else? I once met the Duke of Manhattan; is there any way of getting through to him?"

"Oh, now, ain't you lordly?" Brannigan raised his eyebrows at The Doctor's claim.

"I've got to find our friend."

"You can't make outside calls. The motorway's completely enclosed." Valerie smiled apologetically at The Doctor and Thalia, seeing their concern for Martha.

"What about the other cars?" Thalia tried.

"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah. Well, some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friends list. Now, let's see – who's nearby? Ahh! The Cassini sisters!" Brannigan grabbed the transmitter and called them. "Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here."

"Your husband's quite the ladies man. Is he not?" Thalia nudged Valerie with a raised eyebrow, sending her into a fit of giggles. A small smiled graced Thalia's lips and The Doctor couldn't help but wish she smiled more often.

"Get off the line, Brannigan. You're a pest and a menace." The voice of one of the sisters rang out over the speakers in the car.

"Oh, come on, now, sisters. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"

"You know full well we're not sisters. We're married."

"Oooh, stop that modern talk! I'm an old-fashioned cat. Now, I've got two hitchhikers here, call themselves The Doctor and Thalia." Brannigan handed the transmitter over to The Doctor, who quickly grabbed it.

"Hello. Sorry. It's The Doctor here. I'm looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked. She's inside one of these vehicles, but I don't know which one."

"Wait a minute." The voice of a second sister appeared over the speakers, followed by a thud of what was most likely a large book. "Could I ask, what entrance did they use?"

"Where were we?" Thalia turned to Brannigan.

"Pharmacy Town." He replied.

"Pharmacy Town, about twenty minutes ago." Thalia took the transmitter from The Doctor's hand, her concern for Martha getting the better of her.

"Let's have a look." The second sister fell silent as she looked through her book.

"Just my luck, to marry a car-spotter." The first sister muttered under her breath, but still audible over the speakers.

"In the last half hour, fifty-three new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction." The second sister explained.

"Anything more specific?" Thalia bit her lip. The Doctor recognised the nervous action from the moon as well, it seemed she had a habit of it.

"All in good time. Was she car-jacked by two people?" The second sister asked.

"Yes, she was, yeah."

"There we are. Just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had three on board. And car number is four six five diamond six." The second sister replied.

The Doctor grabbed the transmitter off Thalia and began to speak to the sisters again."That's it! So how do we find them?"

"Ah. Now, there I'm afraid I can't help." She replied.

"Call them on this thing. We've got their number. Diamond six." The Doctor held up the transmitter.

"Not if they're designated fast lane. It's a different class." Brannigan shook his head.

"You could try the police." The sister suggested.

"They put me on hold." The Doctor sighed.

"You'll have to keep trying. There's no one else." The first sister added.

"Thank you." The Doctor handed the transmitter back to Brannigan.

**Car 4-6-5-Diamond-6**

"See? Another ten layers to go. We're scorching." Milo smiled at Martha as they descended, exited at the prospect of driving faster than he had ever driven before. He, in Martha's opinion, was just an ordinary bloke.

Martha smiled back, but a low groaning sound filled the car, making them all freeze.

"What's that?" There was a hint of fear in Martha's voice as she looked out of the windscreen.

The sound came again, this time it was louder. It almost sounded like the grinding of metal.

"It's coming from underneath."

"It does have noise, doesn't it? It's like Kate said. The stories are true." Cheen said excitedly.

"What stories?" Martha looked between Milo and Cheen, until Milo eventually sighed.

"It's the sound of the air vents. That's all. The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents." Milo rolled his eyes.

"No, the stories are much better." Cheen sat up in her seat and grabbed the back of the chair, only to wince in pain.

"What is it?" Martha leant forward and took Cheen's arm in her hands.

"That girl you were with was really vicious, I think she might have done something to my wrist." Cheen looked angry.

Martha was shocked that Thalia had hurt Cheen. At the time it hadn't looked that bad, but then again she had been on the floor. "I think it's just a minor sprain." Martha offered her medical assistance and started fixing it up with a first aid kit.

"Thank you. Where was I?" Cheen thought for a moment. Oh yeah, I was going to tell you the story. So, they say people go missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish, never to be seen again. 'Cause there's something living down there, in the smoke. Something huge. And hungry. And if you get lost on the road … it's waiting for you."

Martha finished bandaging Cheen up and when she finished the story another groan sounded from beneath them, getting louder the further they descended.

"But like I said. Air vents." Milo dismissed, but he still shifted in his seat, uneasy. "Going down to the next layer."

"Except look out there. Does it look like the air vents are working?" Martha gestured to the dense fumes that surrounded the car.

"No." Cheen gulped.

The sound kept getting louder, the growling and crashing defiantly not sounding like air vents.

"So what's that, then?" Martha whispered.

Milo shook his head. "Nah. Kid stuff." He held up his transmitter and tried to continue as normal. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on descent."

**Twenty Five Layers Above**

"We've got to go to the fast lane. Take us down." The Doctor ordered, a bit harshly.

"Not a million years." Brannigan warned.

"You've got more than three passengers!" He argued.

"I'm still not going." Brannigan refused.

"She's alone, and she's lost. She doesn't belong on this planet, and it's all my fault. I'm asking you, Brannigan – take us down." Thalia yelled. She was the one who had suggested to The Doctor to bring Martha along: anything that happened to Martha, she was responsible for. There was a silence before Valerie put her foot down.

"That's a no. And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there." She insisted.

"Why not? What's the risk? What happens down there?" The Doctor pressed Valerie, but kept glancing at Thalia. Did she really think this was all her fault?

"We're not discussing it! The conversation is closed!" She crossed her arms and turned away.

"So we keep on driving." The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Yes, we do." Brannigan agreed.

"For how long?" The Doctor said exasperated.

"'Till the journey's end." Brannigan glared at The Doctor defensively.

The Doctor reached over Brannigan to snatch the transmitter. "Mrs. Cassini, this is the Doctor. Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway?"

"Oh, we were amongst the first. It's been twenty-three years now." The first sister replied, proud of their achievement.

"And in all that time, have you ever seen a police car?"

Valerie and Brannigan sharply turned to look at him, obviously uncomfortable with the discussion.

"I'm not sure." The second sister tried to skirt around the question.

"Look at your notes. Any police?" The Doctor probed further, earning a glare from Thalia.

"Not as such." The sister admitted, uncomfortable.

"Or an ambulance? Rescue service? Anything official? Ever?"

"I can't keep a note of everything." The sister sounded upset.

"What if there's no one out there?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow smugly, his words had had the desired affect. "Where are they? Hmm? What if there's no help coming, not ever? What if there's nothing? Just the motorway, with the cars going round and round and round, never stopping? Forever?"

Thalia quickly reached up and pushed him back. She reached for the transmitter. "Listen, Cassinis, you never give up hope. There is always hope. Nothing in the universe can squash hope if you don't let it. Thank you for your help." She turned the transmitter off and whirled around to face The Doctor.

"You can't tell people to give up. They have hope and each other. They're not alone, look at them! They've been doing this for nearly twenty five years. It's not perfect, but nothing ever is. Hope can fuel armies, it can keep you going until your last step, and I will certainly not let you destroy the happiness they have in this strange arrangement."

She leant forward and placed her hands on his shoulders. "We will find her and we will make this better, you just need to calm down and think." The Doctor relaxed at her touch. Like before, he felt his anger drain away until he was completely calm.

The screen in the front of the car burst into life and the blonde woman from the screen earlier appeared.

"This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation. This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe."

Thalia withdrew her hands from The Doctor's shoulders and slowly moved away from him. She didn't want to get too close to him and risk her growing too attached to him.

Valerie and Brannigan started singing, filling the car with a soft melody. In every car, people sang.

**Car 4-6-5-Diamond-6 **

Martha had tears in her eyes as the song finished. It really was humbling, the way they all stood together, definitely not alone, in the dark.

"Fast lane access, please drive safely." The electronic voice signalled their arrival a the fast lane.

"We made it. The fast lane." Milo cheered.

Cheen grinned as their car descended, into an open lane.

**Thirty Layers Above**

"If you won't take us, We'll go down ourselves."

The Doctor scrambled to the middle of the car and pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

"What do you think you're doing?" Brannigan turned around, shocked.

"Finding my own way. I usually do." The Doctor shrugged.

"Capsule open." The electronic voice accompanied the whoosh of the trapdoor opening.

Valerie and Brannigan looked down, amazed at the door in the floor of the car.

"Here we go." The Doctor leaned forward, ready to jump, but Thalia put her hand out to stop him. "Don't tell me I can't go, because I've already made my mind up." He warned, ready to push her out of the way if he needed to.

"I need to go first." She replied simply.

"Why?" The Doctor glanced at her suspiciously.

She looked down at her current attire, and if looks could kill, he was sure that her dress would have burst into flames. "I'm wearing a dress." She almost growled.

He laughed, and she soon followed, until they had to sober up for their jump. The Doctor handed Valerie his coat and sighed. "Look after this. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."

"But you can't jump!" Valerie was horrified.

"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, I'm having kittens." The Doctor looked at the gap in the floor, and after a moments thought he turned to speak to Thalia. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She rolled her eyes and took the sonic from his hands. "I'm more willing than you."

"This Martha – she must mean an awful lot to two." Brannigan smiled a them.

"Hardly know her. I was too busy showing off. And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied." He glanced at Thalia, who shook her head, almost disappointed. He felt a pang of regret that she was disappointed in him, he wanted to impress her.

"Bye then!" Thalia saluted both Brannigan and Valerie, and jumped down on to a car that had pulled up below them. As she opened the next hatch, The Doctor gave Brannigan a wave, and, coughing, jumped down into the now open trapdoor that Thalia had disappeared through.

"They're completely insane!" Valerie exclaimed.

Brannigan leaned out over the opening and looked down at the car below. "That, and a bit magnificent!"

The Doctor dropped down to find Thalia conversing with a very pale man at the wheel of the car while she worked on the next trapdoor. "Who the hell are you?" The man seemed more wary than angry.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. We're doing a survey." Thalia pointed to The Doctor over her shoulder. "How are you enjoying your motorway?"

"Well, not very much. Junction Five's been closed for three years!" His nose wrinkled in obvious annoyance.

"Thank you. Your comments have been noted." The Doctor crouched next to Thalia, ready for the next car.

"Have a nice day!" Thalia jumped from the car with another salute.

The Doctor quickly followed, closing the hatch behind him, hanging in the air, waiting for Thalia to open the next car and drop down. He watched her as she worked, obviously the TARDIS had already linked her into the psychic field, like most other companions, because the sonic was working for her.

She coughed for a while, but she opened the door very quickly and lowered herself into the next car.

The Doctor was thankful for the chance to escape the toxic fumes. Coughing, he jumped into the next car, where two Asian girls sat. They wore very colourful clothes and Thalia repeated their excuse to the two girls, while he fetched two scarves from a nearby rail. One was pink and the other was a dark purple.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Your comments have been noted." He hand Thalia the pink one, nearly laughing when she wrinkled her nose in disgust at the colour, and turned to the two girls. "Do you mind if we borrow these? Not my colour, but thank you very much."

Thanks to the two scarves The Doctor had grabbed from the car, they continued their descent a lot faster, passing through quite a few cars without much trouble. There had been a moment when they had walked in on a naked couple, but had been able to leave pretty quickly, with Thalia's hand still over The Doctor's eyes.

**Car 4-6-5-Diamond-6 **

Martha still stood, tense, while Milo tried to get them onto a junction exit. The rumbling, groaning noise filled the car again and Milo began to press more buttons.

"Brooklyn Turnoff One closed." The electronic voice stated.

Cheen gripped Martha's hand over her shoulder."Try the next one." She suggested.

"Brooklyn Turnoff Two closed." The electronic voice annoyingly calm, considering their current situation.

Cheen started to panic and let out a moan. "What do we do?"

Ever the voice of reason, Milo placed a hand on Cheen's knee and tried to think of a solution. "We'll keep going round. We'll do the whole loop. By the time we come back round, they'll be open."

The groaning noise repeated, louder still, causing the occupants of the car to glance around nervously. "You're still calling that air vents?"

"What else could it be?" Milo kept the fear from his voice, but it was still in his eyes.

"What the hell is it?" Tears welled up in Cheen's eyes and she placed her uninjured hand on her still flat stomach.

"It's just – the hydraulics." Milo tried again, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

"Sounds like it's … alive." Martha whispered, tears welling up in her own eyes now. She hoped she would make it out alive.

"It's all exhaust fumes out there. Nothing could breathe in that." Milo dismissed again.

"Calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Repeat, calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six." A voice rung out from the transmitter, getting everyone's attention.

Milo picked up the transmitter and spoke. "This is Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Who's that? Where are you?"

"I'm in the fast lane, about fifty yards behind. Can you get back up? Can you get off the fast lane?" The voice asked urgently.

"We only have permission to go down. We – we need the Brooklyn Flyover." Milo replied, convinced they were safe.

"It's closed. Go back up." The voice immediately replied.

"We can't. We'll just go round." Milo shrugged.

"Don't you understand? They're closed. They're always closed."

Cheen gasped and brought her hand to her mouth in distress, almost sobbing, fear evident in her eyes.

"We're stuck down here. And there's something else. Out there, in the fog. Can't you hear it?" The voice barely finished speaking before the groaning turned into deafening roars.

"That's the air vents."

"Jehovah! What are you, some stupid kid? Get out of here!" The voice yelled as they heard the screams of two girls, followed by an enormous crash.

"Hello?" Milo asked.

"Just drive, you idiots! Get out of here! Get out!" The voice screamed as they were torn apart.

"Can you hear me?! Hello?!" Milo tried in vain to contact the car that was now most likely crushed metal.

"Just drive! Do what she said – get us out of here!" Martha was staring to panic as well.

"But where?" Milo gestured to the closed junctions on the screen.

"Just straight ahead! And fast!" Martha snapped.

Cheen had tears streaming down her face as she cried out. "What is it? What's out there? What is it?"

**Just Above the Fast Lane**

Thalia dropped down from the roof, spluttering and coughing, trying to catch her breath. She helped The Doctor down, who was in a similar condition.

"'Scuse me, is that legal?"

Thalia whipped around to fine a man in a pinstriped suit sitting at the wheel of the car. "Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol." She couldn't finish her sentence, because she, like The Doctor, was coughing hard from the fumes.

"Whatever. Have you got any water?" The Doctor stepped forward, having recovered a bit.

"Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners." The man reached forward to a water cooler and filled up two cone shaped glasses for them.

They took the drinks gratefully, The Doctor downed his in one, and started to breathe normally. "Is this the last layer?" The Doctor looked out of the window, unable to tell where they were.

"Ah, we're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane." The man informed them.

"Can we drive down?" The Doctor asked.

"No. It's a lot safer up here." The man was stubborn.

Thalia could see that he wasn't going to take them down so she tried to think of another way. "If you'll excuse me." She ran over to the door in the floor of the car and started opening it.

"You can't jump. It's a thousand feet down!" The man was slightly concerned.

The Doctor stepped up behind Thalia and peered down into the fog. "No, we just want to look."

They could hear screeching and groaning, definitely coming from below them. "What's that noise?" The Doctor was sure he recognised it.

The man gulped. "I try not to think about it."

"What are those lights? What's down there?" The Doctor thought aloud, uncertain for once.

He coughed at the smoke that was now concealing their view of the fast lane, and tried to wave the smoke away with his hand. "I just need to see."

Thalia handed him his screwdriver, having already worked out a suitable solution to their problem.

He leapt up and started pacing, trying to think of ideas. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a bit of a breeze."

He brushed past the man, who was now next to Thalia, and began fiddling with the wires.

The man decided that he liked the look of Thalia, but he wasn't sure if she was with The Doctor or not. "Do you and your husband do this a lot?" He asked innocently.

"We're not together or anything."

"We're just friends." They started talking over each other, denying any claims that they were 'together'.

An awkward silence followed, where the man began eying Thalia up without her knowing. The Doctor narrowed his eyes and decided to finish his work as quickly as possible, and interrupt him. He fused a wire together and snapped his fingers. "That's it! Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look."

The Doctor placed himself between Thalia and the man, and they all looked down through the trapdoor at the fast lane again, this time all three of them could see strange shapes and weird lights at the bottom.

"What are those shapes?" The man voiced the question they had all been thinking of.

"They're alive." Thalia almost gasped when huge snapping claws could be seen through the smoke.

"What the hell are they?" The man said, wide eyed.

The Doctor almost growled. "Macra."

**Car 4-6-5-Diamond-6 **

Martha struggled to hold on as the car was jostled about.

"Go faster!" Cheen yelled, frightened for her life.

"I'm at top speed!" Milo yelled back.

He became less frustrated and more panicked when the electronic voice forbade them to escape. "No access above."

Milo grabbed the transmitter. "But this is an emergency!"

The car barely managed to escape a Macra's claws, but they were in what seemed to be an endless sea of crabs.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." The electronic voice informed them.

There was another crash from outside and the girls screamed.

* * *

**AN: I'm so sorry that I couldn't update sooner, after my birthday it felt like I had been buried with work and I couldn't find the time to write this chapter :'-(**

**Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, they really keep me going and urge me to write more.**

**I'm not making any promises for next week because I'm going to Poland for three days and I won't have very much time to write, but I will hopefully get the next chapter up in two weeks time at the latest.**

**Please feel free to review, PM me e.c.t... All that stuff. See you later :-) **


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